Amber and Blue (One-Shot Collection)
by 11JJ11
Summary: A collection of one-shots focusing around Alain and Mairin's friendship and childhood.
1. Stargazing

**Happy Marissonshipping week 2019! :D**

**I decided to start a new one-shot collection about Alain and Mairin, and all of these stories will take place in the same universe as my Marisson Family one-shot collection, but when they're younger. Most of these fics are going to be focusing on Alain and Mairin's friendship when they're kids/teens, alongside a few one-shots of their childhood before they met.**

* * *

**Stargazing (Alain-14, Mairin-11)**

Alain had memorized the ceiling of his tent.

He stared up at the tent above him, eyes wide open as the night pressed on. His limbs practically ached with exhaustion, but yet there was not one ounce of desire to sleep in him. He wasn't sure how long he had been awake for, but he was sure that they were currently in the early hours of the morning.

His tent door was zipped open, allowing the cool autumn air to rush in and not leave him trapped in his stuffy tent. He flipped over in his sleeping bag, as if hoping to find some position to drift off in, but he knew that sleep wouldn't be coming for him. Most nights he managed to slip off for an hour or so, but that level of exhaustion simply hadn't seemed to hit him yet.

The daytime was no better, his exhaustion still as powerful as ever. He wasn't sure how he had managed to get through the days, but a few weeks ago he had discovered the miracle he called energy drinks. At first it had simply been one from a vending machine to keep himself moving through his travels, but he had become reliant on the liquid. It was the only thing that gave him the energy to keep walking.

He was sure the caffeine wasn't helping with his insomnia– but it was helping him to at least be alert, so he continued consuming it with each meal.

He laced his fingers together as he stared up at the ceiling of his tent, sighing. Nights were the worst, when there was nothing to distract him from his thoughts. Just him alone in the darkness of the night and his mind. His hand drifted towards his left wrist, fingering his tingling skin where his key stone had once sat.

Even after two months, it still felt like the bracelet should be there.

Alain let out a groan, the sound almost a growl as he flipped over on his side, trying to get the horrible thoughts out of his mind. Abandoning Charizard's mega and his key stone hadn't been enough. Seeing everyone around him safe and knowing that the threat was over wasn't enough. The knowledge that he had stood up and fought against... _him_ wasn't even enough.

The guilt was still there– and it was eating him alive.

His hands curled, fingernails digging into his palm. No matter what anyone said to him, _he_ was the one that had helped Lysandre. Even if he hadn't known what that horrible man had been planning, if it weren't for him Lysandre would have never had the mega evolution energy to use, to bend the Zygardes to his will and control them– Alain had even helped capture one of the cores! He had handed Lysandre the power that he had used to nearly destroy the world.

Even if he had turned against Lysandre, and had been part of the force to help stop him, that didn't mean no harm had been done. He had been avoiding the reports and statistics, but he knew that people and Pokemon had been injured in Flare's attack. He knew... he knew that lives had been lost as well.

He didn't know how many– but death had occurred because of what he had done.

And if Lysandre hadn't been stopped, many more would have occured. This was one of the few things that kept him going, knowing that in the end that he had taken a stand against that man. He had helped ended what could have turned into a horrific tragedy. He had managed to stop that man. He had saved Chespie.

He had seen Mairin smile again.

And Lysandre couldn't hurt anyone else.

But even these reassurances were few... for the things he had done were still there. How he had just stood by when Ash had been attacked and captured– he had known that there was no right in this, but yet he hadn't protected his friend. His friend that had been trying to help him find and protect Mairin. He had grown so used to– even reliant– on Lysandre's orders, to the point that he had been frozen when Ash had been taken. Watched him be bond and had boarded the same plane.

It had been so easy to let Lysandre's orders become his thoughts that he hadn't been able to save Ash until after he had let him be dragged off into Lysandre's grasp.

And then Mairin... the professor had told him that a Flare grunt had attempted to bring her in. What would have happened if Sycamore hadn't shown up to stop him? What would have Lysandre done with her? The thoughts of 'what if' terrified Alain the most– especially the ones about Mairin.

Because deep down Alain knew he would have done anything for Lysandre if Mairin had been under threat.

He shouldn't be free. He should be locked up just like every other person that served with Team Flare. He shouldn't just be accepted back as the professor's assistant, not after he had cut off contact with the man and had left him without a word. Things shouldn't just be going back to the way they were before when he had done so many horrible things!

But yet they were, and somehow he was supposed to keep moving on through this horrible guilt.

Quiet whimpers pulled Alain out of his thoughts.

He raises his head slightly, trying to get a better grasp of the sound as it broke the silent night. Alain blinked slowly, heart tightening as he recognized the voice right off. He hesitated for a moment, before pushing himself up into a sitting position, his guilt surging as he heard the soft cries. He wanted to say something, but he found his mouth was dry. He sat there in the darkness for a minute, listening to the soft whimpers coming from the tent next to him.

At last, he found his voice. "M-mairin?"

His voice was quiet, but not a whisper– but it seemed that Mairin didn't hear him. The whimpers kept coming, each one making him want to flinch. He sat there for a moment longer, before rolling out of his sleeping bag and pushing himself to his feet. His limbs ached as he stumbled for the open exit of the tent.

The night was cool, but not chilly. It was a clear sky as well, not a cloud in sight as Alain made his way to the tent only a few steps from his. The soft cries became more clear as he knelt down in front of Mairin's tent, softly unzipping the entrance. He hesitated for one moment, before crawling in.

The eleven year old was fast asleep, sweat coating her form as she laid in her sleeping bag. Her red hair was down, messily falling across her face, but even in the dim light he could still see her tears. She twisted as she slept, those whimpers still pouring from her, eyes flickering under the closed eyelids. Her hands were clenched, as if grasping something, unintelligible mutters coming from her.

Alain hesitated, recognizing that she was experiencing an unpleasant dream, but yet he wasn't sure if he should awake her. He had been only having sleepless nights himself and that part of him would rather let her sleep, even if it wouldn't be restful. He shoved those thoughts to the side though, reminding himself that unlike him, Mairin would be able to fall back asleep. She was also young, so a nightmare would probably seem harsher to her than it would for him.

Alain internally scowled at the last excuse– knowing that his most recent dreams had been far from something for him to just shrug off.

He reached out, gently nudging the twitching girl's shoulder. "Mairin," Alain whispered. "Wake up."

She shivered, twisting in her sleep, but her eyes remained shut. He gritted his teeth, hating seeing the tears on her cheeks, and he grabbed her shoulder, shaking her.

"Mairin– wake up," He said, no longer whispering, but his voice was still quiet. Mairin went still for a moment, and he shook her again, trying to wake her, but not suddenly jerk her out of her sleep. She curled up slightly, and he gave another shake. "Come on, Mair, you need to wake up..."

At last her eyes fluttered open, a panicked and confused look in her amber gaze. Alain looked down at her for a moment as she looked about the tent, before at last staring up at him. She was breathing heavily, a few lingering tears in her eyes, and she simply stared.

Then suddenly she launched herself at him, arms wrapping around his waist as she buried her tear-filled eyes into his shirt. "D-don't leave– _p-please!"_

A sob rattling her chest as soon she forced the words out of her. Alain pulled back slightly, startled at the sudden embrace. It was only moments later that he returned the hug, pulling the young girl in close in an attempt to comfort her. She cried, her whole body shaking.

_Some comfort you are..._ A part of his mind muttered, and he shoved the thoughts away.

"I'm right here, Mairin," He whispered to her, rocking her back and forth. "I'm not leaving..."

She shuddered at this, pulling back slightly and looking up at him. "B-but–" She stammered. "Y-you said–"

Internally he cringed. "Mairin, you were dreaming," He told her, his mind having several guesses on just what was in her nightmare. "I'm right here, okay?"

She blinked slowly, as if just barely becoming aware that they were in her tent. She looked around, arms pulling away from him and wrapping around herself as she took in her surroundings. She gulped after a moment, glancing at Alain as she finally caught up with the present, and she wiped away her tears.

Then her eyes widened. "Ch-chespie and Bébé–?!"

She sprang for her orange backpack, seizing the bag before Alain could say a word, desperately searching through it. After a moment she withdrew two red spheres, pressing them close to her heart as she held them– no– _clutched _them. Alain watched her, feeling helpless as she broken down again, sobbing.

He scooted towards her, not quite sure on how to comfort her. "It's okay, Mair, it's okay now," He whispered, and she looked away. She swallowed hard, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "It was just a dream, it wasn't real..."

"I'm s-sorry I woke you up," She whispered, voice quivering. "I'm sorry."

He closed his eyes. "I... I was already awake..." He muttered. "You didn't wake me up..." He hesitated with his next words. "_I'm_ the one what woke you up– I should be the one apologizing."

Not quite a joke, but his attempt to lighten the tension was received. She gave him the smallest of smiles, before looking down at her Pokeballs again. She pulled them away from her chest, tracing their shapes as she bit down on her lip. She looked up at Alain, looking as if she were about to start crying again. His heart pounded, knowing that was the last thing he wanted to see.

"Do you want to talk about the dream?" He asked, words slightly rushed, and she blinked at him.

"I... I d-dunno..." Mairin whispered, and she turned back to her backpack, slipping the Pokeballs safely inside. "It was just a stupid dream... nothing to w-worry about..."

"It was more than 'nothing'," Alain said, frowning. "But if you don't want to talk about it I won't press you."

She wiped away a few forming tears. "I... I just don't think I'm ready to go back to sleep," Mairin whispered, inching towards her sleeping bag, eyes sweeping the tent. "I'll be fine though, I don't want to keep you up..."

His frown deepened, knowing she was just pushing everything aside. She sat cross-legged on her sleeping bag, hands in her lap as she stared down. Alain hated that he knew exactly what she was trying to do. She was too young to try to bear any burden alone, but yet that was just what she was trying to do. He could see the fear and exhaustion in her empty gaze, and like him it was clear that neither of them were going to be sleeping anytime soon.

"That's fine, you don't have to go back to sleep if you don't want to," Alain said, and he pushed himself to his feet. "And I haven't slept a wink at all tonight, and I don't think I will," He hesitated. "I don't think I can stay in a tent for a moment longer– so I'm going to be outside. And if you want someone to talk to or just to be with, then you can join me, okay?"

She gave a small nod, still staring down on her hands. He hesitated, before slipping out of her tent. He headed back towards his, grabbing the bottom of his sleeping bag before dragging it outside. He didn't want to just leave Mairin alone, but he wasn't going to force her to be in his company. Besides, he wasn't exactly that good at comforting people, and he was sure that being alone would be better than being with him.

He laid his sleeping bag out on the cool grass, looking out over their small camp before crawling in. It was still faintly warm from when he had been in it earlier, and he settled in. He knew there was no way he would be able to sleep, but his limbs still ached with tiredness, so the rest would be more than welcome. He stared up at the stars, not wanting to dwell on anything, but was too afraid to let his thoughts wander.

It was only a few minutes later that he heard the sound of Mairin shuffling about her tent, and her sleeping bag sliding against the grass as she came outside. A faint smile pressed onto Alain's lips as he heard her coming, but he didn't say anything as she set up her sleeping bag near his. He tilted his head slightly, and found that she was worming her way into her sleeping bag. She had set hers up so it was opposite of him, their heads only a foot from each other.

"...It's cold," Mairin said after a moment, breaking the silence. Her voice was much steadier than before, but he could still hear a slight waver.

"Better than a stuffy tent," Alain replied, letting out a small sigh. "It feels... too confining in there."

Though he wasn't looking at her, he could hear the sound of her head moving against the sleeping bag as she nodded. Again he faintly smiled, and silence fell between them as they looked up at the sky.

"...Can I tell you about my dream?" Mairin asked after a minute in the smallest of whispers.

"Of course."

"I mean... is it okay if I tell you?" She asked again, a slight uncertain whimper in her voice.

"You can tell me anything," Alain replied, voice firm. He heard her shifting, and she took in a deep breath.

"It was about the league," She said in a small voice, and Alain went still. "Um– with what happened after, you know–" Her words became rushed, neither of them wanting to mention the term 'Kalos crisis'. "B-but this time both Chespie and Bébé were in a c-coma– and no one was trying to help them! Professor Sycamore wasn't there, and Ly-lysandre kept trying to take them and I was running but the roots from the Zygarde were everywhere and there was nowhere for me to go, and then I saw you–"

She paused suddenly, taking several straggling breaths.

"A-and you said you were leaving," She whispered. "But Lysandre was right behind us, but you were leaving and I needed to get my Pokemon to safety and–" She hiccuped. "And then you woke me up, b-but it felt so real, and I know it's stupid but I was so scared and–"

He reached his hand back, finding her shoulder and holding it. "Mairin. There's nothing 'stupid' about it– and there's nothing wrong with being scared."

Her hand grabbed his wrist. "I d-don't want you to leave," She whispered. "Everyone always leaves."

"I'm not leaving," Alain promised, tone becoming almost forceful. "After what I've done to you in the past I know it's hard to believe, but I'm not going to abandon you again."

"Do you promise?" Mairin asked, voice a begging and quiet whisper. Alain was sure if they were any farther apart he wouldn't have heard her. He wasn't even sure that she had meant to be heard, because she took in a sharp breath as he replied.

"Yes Mairin, I promise," Alain said, and her hand tightened around his wrist. "You're like a sister to me– and I would never leave family behind."

_You left Professor Sycamore behind._ That voice muttered in his head, and his eyes pressed shut.

_I thought I was protecting him._

_You hurt him– refused to even talk to him._ The voice taunted. _And we both know now what your 'help' was really working towards._

"My brother left..." Mairin whispered, voice starting to crack. "When I was eight, I didn't want him to go but he did... He went to Sinnoh to do Contests..."

"We're on this journey together," Alain said, ignoring the voice in his mind– because right now it was Mairin that needed him. "Anywhere I'm going is going to be with you."

"What about when our journey ends?" She whimpered, and he could hear the panic building in her voice.

"We'll worry about that when we get there," Alain said. "And just because our journey will end someday doesn't mean our friendship will," He let out a soft sigh. "...After what we've been through, you have every right to be scared– but I promise you, Mair, that everything is okay now. You're safe. Chespie's safe. And... and I'll protect you. You don't need to be afraid."

_Telling her to not be afraid, but yet you're absolutely terrified._ The voice mused softly in his mind. _You said you were done with abandoning her and the lies– but yet you're lying to her right now._

Alain's jaw tensed, and he snapped back at the voice. _No– I'm not! I __**will**_ _protect her– and that is not a lie!_

He waited, silence echoing in his mind– the voice had no reply.

"I will protect you," Alain repeated, mostly to himself, but Mairin's hand wrapped tighter around his wrist. She pulled his hand away from her shoulder, but still maintained a strong hold on his limb, clearly not ready to let go.

"Thank you, Ali," She whispered. "Thank you."

He smiled softly. "Didn't I say not to call me that?"

"...Maybe," She muttered. "But you call me Mair, so I can call you Ali. It's only fair."

Alain sighed, but was in no way about to say no. He had never had a sibling before, but he supposed that teasing was simply part of the package. He stared up at the sky, startled at how much of his fear had been driven away within the last few minutes. Even though he had simply been trying to comfort Mairin, he was surprised by how much it had calmed him down.

"Only fair, I supposed," Alain muttered back after a moment, letting out a small chuckle.

"...I feel a lot better," Mairin said. "But I'm still not ready to sleep."

"Then what would you like to do?" Alain asked, staring up at the night sky. A part of him wouldn't be surprised if she asked for a snack or to play a game, but even if he was awake he wasn't sure if he'd have the energy to do much more than just lay here.

She let out a sigh. "...Can you just talk?"

He blinked. "About what?"

"Anything," Mairin said without hesitation, and her fingers dug into his wrist. "I... I just don't want to feel alone."

"Alright," Alain said, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't bring back the bad memories, and with his gaze skyward he talked about the first thing that came to his mind. "Do you know any of the constellations?"

"...I know the Big Dipper..." Mairin muttered uncertainly, and he smiled.

With his free hand he pointed up towards the iconic dipper. "Well, that's not actually a constellation, but just part of one- the Ursaring Major, to be exact. But see the last two stars on the 'dipper' part? They point right towards the North Star, which is part of the Little Dipper, or the Teddiursa Minor constellation..."

He wasn't really thinking about what he was saying, simply repeating information he already knew as he spoke. He pointed to various constellations in the sky, listing off the stars in it or simply the origins of its name. Mairin didn't say anything as he spoke, and even though he couldn't see her face from where he was at he could see her raising her hand out of the corner of his eye, trying to find the constellations in the sky.

"Then there's the one of Rayquaza," Alain said as his eyes located the 'head' of the constellation, gaze picking out the other stars that made up its long serpentine shape. "One of the few you can see all year around..."

He paused, trying to think of the legend that went with the constellation, but a soft sound pulled him out of his thoughts. He could hear the small puffs of breath coming from Mairin, and he tilted his head back so he could look at her.

He wasn't quite sure when she had fallen asleep– but a peaceful look was spread across her face. He let out a long breath, smiling as he saw that the tension and fear was gone from her face. Her hand still remained locked around his wrist, and her hand only tightened when he attempted to pull it away. He watched her for a moment longer, before satisfied that she wasn't going to wake up, and he relaxed.

He stared up at the sky once more, simply listening to the sound of Mairin's breathing and the wind rustling the leaves.

Sleep didn't come for him until much later– not until the horizon was lit gray with the approaching dawn– but with sleep so hard to achieve his whole body relaxed and embraced the feeling as he at last drifted off.

Perhaps they wouldn't be up with the sun that morning, but it had been so long since a look of peace had crossed the young friends' faces that nothing seemed to dare awake them. The Kalos sun peered over the horizon, its rays merely illuminating the two that had at last found some peace in their turmoil.


	2. Zach

**Zach (Alain-15, Mairin-12)**

"Mairin, could you please hurry up?" Alain called back, his tone exasperated. He stopped along the path for what felt like the hundredth time that day, hand pressed against his forehead as he waited for the twelve year old to catch up.

Mairin gave him a brief smile, before glancing down at the ground as she walked up to him. She usually was the one running ahead, chattering away over every little thing she saw, but today she hadn't broken her pace from a walk. While this might have been nice on any other day, they were on a time schedule now. They had at least a several days trip until they would be in Lumiose, and the professor needed them there!

"I'm sorry, Alain," Mairin said as she at last caught up to him, gaze still glued to the ground. She paused as she reached his side, grabbing his arm as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm... I'm just really tired today."

He scowled. "You stayed up late last night again, didn't you?" He said, suppressing a sigh. "I told you we had a lot of ground to cover! We're still a long ways from Coumarine City– and I was hoping to be there before sundown. The trip from there to Lumiose will probably take another two days, three if we keep up this pace!"

He pulled his arm away from her, and she bit her lip. "I didn't stay up," She muttered, blinking rapidly. "I'm j-just tired."

He regarded her for a moment, before shaking his head at her stutter. "Mairin, I know when you're lying. We don't have time to stop– we'll rest once we get to Coumarine. The more you move about the more awake you'll feel, now come on."

Alain took off once more at a brisk pace, and for perhaps a hundred yards she managed to stay several steps behind him. However it was only several minutes later that he glanced over his shoulder once more, and found her lagging behind. The fifteen year old gritted his teeth, trying to prevent himself from snapping something at her. Sometimes it felt like she did things on purpose– she _knew_ that they were in a hurry.

Of all the days for her to feel sluggish, it had to be now.

She had stayed up late before, Alain had to basically drag her out of her tent on more than one occasion. But usually she was awake once he brought out breakfast, and then her lack of sleep wouldn't hit her until the afternoon. But of course now it had to hit in the middle of the day.

"If you keep up I'll let you pick what we have for lunch," Alain called back, hoping that the promise of food would have her perk up.

Mairin didn't reply, and he shook his head. He glanced down at his watch– which sat right where his key stone used to– hating just how little ground they've covered this morning. It was already noon, and usually they'd stop to eat right now, but he figured they could push it back an hour so they could just get a bit farther. He was working as the professor's assistant once more, and he couldn't let Professor Sycamore down. Not again.

Not after Team Flare.

He closed his eyes for a moment, pressing the thoughts out of his mind. It had been over a year now... he didn't need to keep thinking back on that time...

"Come on, Mairin," He called, mostly to focus his mind on something else, increasing his speed slightly as they pressed on.

* * *

Mairin was trying so hard to hold back her tears, jaw clenched as she fought off the moisture the pain was bringing to her eyes.

But it hurt _so_ much.

Her ankle flared with pain every time she put pressure on it, and she felt the tears blurring over her eyes. She swiftly wiped them away, doing her best to make her walking look as normal as possible. She shot a nervous glance at Alain, but much to her relief he had yet to notice the pain she was in. Mairin felt she was doing a decent job of hiding it, but she was sure that Alain trying to get to Lumiose on time was keeping his focus.

But he would notice something was off if she kept falling behind like this.

He had bought her lie about being tired for now, but he wasn't stupid. Alain had eyes like a Braviary, and if he was paying attention he could notice the smallest of details. She risked a brief glance at her ankle, but she didn't notice much off except for how stiffly she was holding it. Her long pants covered the redness, so she should be fine... no one would notice a thing...

"Mairin, please!" Alain called, once again coming to a stop. She froze up, realizing just how far ahead he had gotten. "I know you're faster than this!"

"I'm sorry," Mairin whimpered, though she wasn't sure he heard this. She stopped for a moment, gathering her courage– and then she took off at a light jog. Her eyes widened at the pain that hit her, sweat forming on her face as she strained her injured ankle. A cry of pain was building up in her throat, and she fought so hard against it. They were in a hurry, she couldn't slow Alain down... she knew he'd stop if he knew she was hurt, and then they'd be even later for the professor.

But it hurt so much...

This wouldn't have happened if she hadn't been so stupid. She had only wandered a little ways from the tent this morning, curious to what was around them since it had been dark when they had set up camp. She of course had managed to trip on what was probably the tinest rock in the forest, and like always she had fallen. Except for this fall had resulted in much more pain than just a few bruises, her ankle having twisted under her. The pain that had followed had been so intense and startling that she didn't even cry out, just sitting there in the pain and shock.

It was moments before she was going to call out to Alain that he called out to her– reminding them that they were in a hurry.

She hadn't wanted to slow him down, so she had been hiding the aching ankle since. It had been a few hours now since they had left camp, but still the pain was showing no signs of fading.

Relief ran through her as she caught up to Alain once more, small gasps escaping her as she came to a stop several paces behind him. She stared down at the ground with wide eyes, realizing just how horrible her swift jog here had been. Tears stung her eyes, breathing ragged as she tried to keep herself from crying. She shifted her weight from her throbbing left ankle to her right, while trying to still look like she was standing normally.

"L-let's go," Mairin muttered. "I'll k-keep up this time..."

"...Mairin, are you alright?" Alain asked, tone slightly concerned– and she froze up. She looked up at him, and found that Alain was looking down at her with a small frown. She quickly whipped her gaze back to the ground, but Alain had briefly seen her pained expression.

"I'm fine!" She squeaked, but he clearly didn't believe her. Alain reached out, and she recoiled at this action, heart thumping as Alain looked down at her.

"Mairin, look at me," Alain said, and she swiftly shook her head. He hesitated for a moment, before kneeling down so he could see her face. Blue eyes stared into the tear-streaked amber ones, and a heavy weight crashed down onto her. She knew that Alain could see her tears and tense jaw, the sweat running down her face. "...Mairin, what's wrong?"

There was an uneasy edge in his tone, clearly not sure of what to make of her expression. She opened her mouth, trying to form some reply, but no words left her throat. Instead tears began to pour down her face, her willpower to hold them back faltering.

"It h-hurts," Mairin whispered after a moment, a quiver in her voice, shoulders starting to hunch. "It hurts so much."

The worry on his face melted into pure concern, and the last trace of exasperation vanished as she spoke. He grabbed her wrists, blue eyes slightly panicked. "What hurts?" He demanded. "Mairin, what hurts?!"

"My ankle," She managed to croak, and then finally the tears of pain spilled over, the girl sobbing. Her eyes pressed shut, and she couldn't make out Alain's next few words. He gave a slight tug on her arm, telling her to sit, and she practically collapsed to the ground, ankle finally free of her weight. Alain was already kneeling down, and so he gently touched her right ankle. She shook her head, and he then touched her left. Mairin hesitated for a moment, before giving him a tearful nod. She cracked an eye open, her sight blurred by her tears, and she watched as Alain roll up her pant leg.

"Arceus," He muttered under his breath, paling slightly when he saw her ankle. Like this morning, it was still bright red– but now it was swollen as well. Mairin felt slightly dizzy as she stared at the bulging ankle, which was nearly the size of a Pokeball. He hesitantly reached out, touching it with one finger. Shivers raced up her, and she stiffened up.

He swiftly pulled back, looking between her and the ankle.

"Don't touch it," Mairin whispered.

"Mairin, how long has your ankle been like this?" Alain asked, voice slightly shaken.

"S-since this morning," Mairin whimpered, guilt pounding through her. "I fell..."

"And you didn't tell me?!" Alain cried, and she couldn't help but flinch as his voice rose. "You shouldn't be walking on this! It's probably going to be worse now!"

She stared at the ground, tears filling her eyes. "I'm sorry," She whispered, feeling so sick. He always told her not to wander off, but still she had this morning, and because of that she had gotten hurt. And now that Alain knew about the ankle he was going to have them stop here. They were going to be late meeting the professor, and it was her fault. "I'm sorry, Alain."

"Sorry?" He asked, a slight scoff in his voice. "_Sorry!?"_ She shivered, knowing that her words hadn't fixed a thing. "I– I'm the one that made you walk on this!" He looked into her eyes. "Mairin, you should have told me you were hurt!"

She stared up at him, utterly confused at the guilt in his gaze– this wasn't his fault! She was the one that had gotten hurt. She was the one holding them up. She was the one that hadn't told him.

"I... I don't know if it's broken or sprained," Alain muttered weakly, gazing over her ankle nervously. "But I don't want you taking another step on it, okay?"

"But we don't have time to stop!" Mairin cried out. "We need to get to Lumiose!"

Alain looked at her for a moment. "Mairin... you're hurt," He said slowly, as if she had forgotten this. "You're not walking to Lumiose like this."

A fresh wave of tears ran down her face. He really was going to stop, he was going to waste the time that he needed just because of her clumsiness. A hiccup escaped her, heart twisting with guilt. Alain had been working so hard, trying to do everything for the professor, and he was going to be late because of her. She could walk! It hurt, but she could still walk! They could keep going!

"I c-can still walk," Mairin whispered, voice hoarse. "I c-can walk it out, we need to get going."

He pushed himself to his feet. "Walk it out? Mairin, I don't think you realize just how bad this is– your ankle might be broken."

Another wave of dizziness washed over her. Broken? She had broken her arm before, when she was younger... that had hurt a lot as well, and the pain didn't go down for days either... She gulped, fear racing through her. Treating broken bones cost money– could she afford that? She didn't know if she could. She had wasted her parent's money before with a broken bone, she couldn't do that to someone else!

"Mairin, calm down," Alain said softly, seeing the distress on her face. "Deep breaths. This is something that can be treated. You're going to be alright."

"I'm sorry," She whispered, heart feeling so heavy, the guilt nearly as painful as her throbbing ankle.

"I'm going to pick you up, okay?" Alain said, kneeling back down.

Her eyes widened. "You can't carry me the rest of the way!"

"I know," He said, looking worried. "I don't think I can. But I am going to find you somewhere better to rest than the middle of the path– then I'm going to go get some help."

She let out a whimper, but Alain scooped her up anyways. One arm went under her knees, the other across her back. He pressed her against him, then with a grunt of effort he braced himself, pushing himself to his feet. His breathing became slightly strained, but he stood fairly quickly, shifting her slightly as he tried to find his balance. She looked up at him, and he flashed her a small smile.

"Alain," She said, hating the fact that he was straining himself.

"Let's go," He said, shifting her one last time, and he continued down the path.

* * *

Mairin sat in the shade, heart thumping as she stared off in the direction she had last seen Alain. The day was becoming hotter and hotter, and even in the shade of the only tree in sight, she still was sweltering. Alain had left her here nearly a half hour ago, telling her than he was going in search of help, and that she wasn't allowed to put any weight on her ankle.

She glanced down at her ankle, which Alain had propped up on her worn orange backpack, her pant leg rolled up and her shoe off. She supposed having nothing up against it felt nice, but just staring at the swollen ankle only was reminding her of how badly she had messed this up. She gripped the water bottle Alain had left her– even though she already had her own. He said that she should keep drinking the water, but he was going to be so thirsty when he got back...

He would be coming back, he'd need his water bottle, he would be coming back...

Though she wouldn't blame him if he did go on to just meet the professor– that was very important to him, and she was slowing him down. Still, her heart twisted, hoping that he would at least tell her if he planned on leaving. She hated it when people lied, even if they were just trying to keep her from a hurtful truth.

She wished that she would have at least thought about getting a Pokeball out from her backpack, but it hadn't crossed her mind. And Alain had been in such a rush to go get help that he probably hadn't thought of it either. Mairin reached forward, but her ankle flared up as she moved, and she swiftly went still. It would be painful to move her ankle to get to her backpack, and now that Alain knew there was no point in hiding her pain. Her breathing felt more like panting, and she didn't understand why it was so much harder to move than before– she had been walking!

She set Alain's water bottle to the side, before picking up her own. She hesitated, but decided that a small drink would be worth it. She tipped the bottle up to her mouth, letting the cool liquid run down her parched throat. Sweat was forming over her skin, vision blurring if she turned her head too swiftly. When had it become this hot...?

Why couldn't the pain in her ankle die down?

"Mrow?"

Mairin flinched at the sudden sound, lifting her gaze up to see a purple shape watching her. The Purrloin flicked its tail as it watched her, green eyes gleaming. Mairin stared at the Pokemon, and it took several steps towards her, all four paws silent as it walked. The Pokemon blinked, the Purrloin studying her.

"H-hey," Mairin whispered, and again the Pokemon blinked. It was an adorable little Pokemon, and in any other circumstances Mairin probably would have been more than happy to run up and pet the Purrloin. However, with the heat in the air and the throb in her ankle, she barely had energy to even talk to the dark type.

"Mrrrrr," The Purrloin let out a long purr, closing its eyes for a moment, looking very content. Mairin smiled slightly, and Purrloin seemed happy with this. She came closer, the Pokemon pressing up against Mairin's leg, rubbing her head as she continued to come. Mairin reached out with one hand, fingers stroking the soft fur as the Pokemon reached her side. Again Purrloin rubbed her head against Mairin, that soft purr still coming from her.

Those emerald eyes watched her, allowing Mairin to continue to pet her. The purring slowly came to a stop, and Mairin glanced at the Pokemon. She still looked happy, a smile on her face as she was scratched behind an ear. Mairin was grateful for the distraction, the Pokemon taking some of her focus away from the pain. Purrloin stretched, Mairin's hand going from her head to her back, the Pokemon savoring the scratches.

Then the smile on the Pokemon turned into a smirk– and the Purrloin sprang.

Mairin recoiled at the sudden movements, but the Pokemon wasn't leaping at her. Purrloin was a blur of purple as she leapt, fangs bared at Alain's water bottle. Mairin's eyes widened as the Pokemon took off racing from the tree with Alain's water bottle in her mouth, swiftly making her way towards the grass fields that surrounded the tree and road.

"No!" Mairin cried– Alain would need that!

"Mrrow!" The Purrloin paused, turning, a mocking gleam in her eyes. Her voice was muffled with the water bottle in her mouth, and she waved her tail tauntingly. Mairin attempted to sit up, knowing she couldn't let the Pokemon get away. Tears leapt to her eyes as she shifted, ankle screaming in pain.

Purrloin watched her, eyes gleaming humorously as she realized that Mairin couldn't follow. Then with her tail held high she turned, ready to bolt off into the tall grass. Panic took hold of Mairin, and again she tried to stand.

"Meep!" A voice cried, and a small shape came bursting out of the grass. The mass of fluff slammed into the Purrloin with a Tackle, sending the cat Pokemon flying back. The Purrloin lost its grip on water bottle, fur standing on end as it crashed into the ground, trying to take in what happened.

The Mareep was standing in a charging position, its whole body sparking as it glared at the Purrloin. The orb on the end of its tail started glowing, the Mareep using Charge to build up energy. Purrloin hesitated, before extending her claws as she prepared a Scratch. She slashed her attacker across the face, Mareep wincing as it was struck. However he didn't back down, sparks building up.

"Mar!" He cried, releasing a Thunder Shock out at the Purrloin. Mairin winced at the bright light, and Purrloin let out a pained cry as she was hit. Mareep huffed, the Purrloin's fur frazzled as the attack faded. She stumbled back, shaking slightly from the move she had just taken.

"Mrow..." She muttered, glancing between the water bottle and the Mareep. The electric type lowered itself to the ground, clearly ready to strike with another Tackle. Purrloin gulped– and then ran off as fast as her legs could carry her into the grass, leaving Alain's water bottle behind.

The Mareep watched her go, blinking once, before holding his head up proudly. He hadn't even seemed to notice Mairin, squaring his shoulders as he held his head high as he embraced his victory. Mairin noticed that a collar was around the Mareep's neck, a small gray stone embedded into it.

"Eep!" The Mareep suddenly cried, jumping back in shock. He had at last spotted Mairin, and clearly hadn't expected her to be there. He stared at the injured girl, fleece puffed up as she stared back. After a moment he took on a relaxed stance, sniffing in her direction. "Mar..."

"The w-water bottle," Mairin whispered, pointing to Alain's fallen water bottle. "I... I need that."

The Mareep glanced at the bottle that the Purrloin had attempted to steal, then at Mairin. He blinked his glossy green eyes, hesitantly looking off in the direction the Purrloin had gone. His gaze softened when he looked at Mairin, and he trotted over to the water bottle, picking it up. He came up to her proudly, dropping the water bottle into her lap.

"Thank you," Mairin said, relief running through her as she held Alain's water bottle. Mareep smiled happily at the praise. "Alain's going to need this... it's so hot out here..."

"Mar," Mareep agreed, giving a nod. She imagined that he would be dying with the wool on him, but Mareep seemed far from hot or tired. He had a gleam in his eyes, a twitch in his legs as if he didn't want to stay still. Mareep paced around Mairin for a moment, studying her, and came to a stop when he saw her ankle. "Meep...?"

"It hurts," Mairin whispered as he went to sniff it. "P-please don't touch it..."

Mareep pulled his head back, looking at Mairin, then at the field of grass around them. A confused expression filled his gaze– and he bolted towards the road. For a moment Mairin was sad to see him go, but to her relief he came racing right back after glancing around the path. He sat next to her in the shade of the tree, eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Mareep mar?" He asked, tilting his head.

"Are you looking for someone?" Mairin asked, just as confused with how he kept glancing around.

"Mar," He said, pressing his head to her hand, then looked around. "Eep!"

"...Are you wondering why I'm alone?" Mairin asked after a moment of thought, and the Mareep bobbed his head in confirmation. She looked out at the path, fingering Alain's water bottle. "I'm not alone, he should be back soon...?"

"Eep!" Mareep said.

Mairin sighed. "Alain... He went to go get help because of my ankle," She closed her eyes. "And he left me his water bottle, and I'm starting to realize that I sh-shouldn't have let him do that, because it's so hot out here, and he's in the sun, and if I hadn't been so stupid this morning none of this would have happened, and if something happens to him it's going to be my fault–!"

The more she spoke the faster her words came out, and before she realized it she was crying. Sobs rattled her chest, tears blurring her vision. She felt Mareep's warm head touching her hand again, but yet her cries still came. Her ankle just wouldn't stop hurting, and if it would then she could actually go and find Alain so he wasn't doing this for her sake...

"Mar," Mareep said as her tears started to slow, nuzzling her again.

"Mareep?" Mairin asked hestiently, wiping away her tears. "Could you do something for me...?"

She felt guilty, asking this sweet Pokemon to do something for her, a worthless stranger.

"Eep," He said, nodding, and Mairin gulped.

"Could you take this to A-alain?" Mairin asked, holding out the water bottle. "He's going to need it, I know he is... and I can't go after him, I'll be too slow. I know that's a lot to ask, but please?"

Mareep grabbed the water bottle from her hands, eyes gleaming as if he had just been offered a challenge. He gave a vigorous nod, and he began to spark in his excitement. "Meep!"

"I have no idea where he is," Mairin said, but she pointed down the road. "But he went that way to go look for help. His name is Alain, and... and he's really tall, kinda scary when you first see him, but he's the nicest person on earth... he has dark hair and is wearing blue..." She glanced at the Mareep. "He has a scarf that's fluffy like your wool."

Mareep considered this description, then nodded. He gave one last glance at Mairin, before running away from the shady tree and onto the road– running in the direction Mairin had pointed towards. She watched him go, before sagging against the tree, whole body coated in sweat.

She hoped that Alain was okay.

* * *

Alain had decided that he was the biggest idiot on earth.

He wasn't exactly a rash person, but leaving his water bottle behind hadn't been the smartest idea. He knew how hot it was out here, and in his worry for Mairin he had left it to her in case she used all of her water. But now that he was walking down the road, the sun beating down on him, he was starting to realize that he wouldn't be able to get help for her if this heat caught up to him.

He paused along the road, panting. His hair and skin was coated in sweat, the heat having become so unbearable as the afternoon began to set in. His eyes briefly glanced down at his watch– it was already past one. He closed his eyes, perhaps if they would have stopped for lunch when they normally did then he wouldn't be feeling this weak.

And perhaps he would have noticed Mairin's ankle sooner.

Alain flinched as the image of her bulging ankle filled his mind, skin red and swollen, bruising already starting to take on a nasty blue hue. He shivered, remembering the sheer agony that had been in her eyes when she had caught up to him, and he honestly didn't know how the young girl had managed to keep back her tears for so long. It was sprained at the very least, though he suspected it was broken judging by how nasty it looked.

He knew from experience just how painful broken bones were, and he knew how horrible they were when left untreated.

They had left their campsite at what, nine o'clock? That meant that she had been walking on that ankle for... over three hours. His stomach twisted at the thought, another wave of guilt crashing over him.

For three whole hours she had been in so much pain, and what had he done? Give her nothing but frustrated glares and snapping at her to keep up. Looking back at it, he was starting to realize that it wasn't surprising how slow she had been– but rather how surprising it was that she had been moving that fast in her state. Hurting so much, but yet still pressing on, hiding her pain...

And he hadn't noticed.

Some friend he was.

"One minute," Alain promised himself as he found himself stumbling to a stop, a faint headache starting to form. "You're only stopping for one minute..."

He wished there was some amount of shade he could rest in– but he hadn't seen another tree since the one he had left Mairin under. How long ago had that even been...? He wasn't too sure. Alain collapsed to the ground, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the path as he tried to catch his breath, vision blurring slightly. He shook his head to keep himself focused, the sweat on him turning sticky, skin burning with the heat from the beating sun. He leaned forward, head pressed against a hand, trying to focus on his breathing.

Thirty more seconds, then he'd stand up... then he'd continue looking for help...

It was so hot...

"Ten more seconds," Alain muttered aloud, even though his body didn't want to move from where he was. He counted down in his head, tugging at the scarf he always wore around his neck. Though not designed to keep someone warm, he felt relieved as he pulled the insulation away from his neck. He savored the feeling for only a moment– before forcing himself to his feet. The day was still as hot as ever as he pressed forward, but the short rest had most certainly helped.

He needed to find someone and somehow contact a doctor– he just needed to find someone that could help Mairin better than he could.

Why wasn't there so much as a stupid sign along this road?

He gritted his teeth, continuing on, knowing that every moment here was a moment that Mairin was alone. She had her Pokemon with her, in case anything went wrong, but it was honestly hard to relax when she wasn't by his side. Alain hadn't had any siblings before, but Mairin had most certainly stepped into the role of little sister for him. She was family, and the fact that she had gotten hurt and he hadn't even noticed stung at his heart.

"_I c-can walk it out, we need to get going."_

He flinched as Mairin's words rushed into his mind, followed by her many tearful apologies. It was an image he couldn't get out of his head, how... guilty she looked as he found out that she was hurt. As if this was somehow a terrible thing she had done– as if it were wrong for her to be injured. He just didn't know what to make of it, it wasn't like she was sorry that it had happened– but sorry that it was affecting him– as if _that_ was what was wrong.

He had been pressing the issue of them needing to hurry ever since yesterday, and so it wasn't surprising that Mairin would attempt to make sure things went well, but even that didn't seem to explain her actions. This wasn't her just getting distracted or rambling off on random topics, she was treating the fact that she was hurt in a way that just made his stomach crawl.

And he honestly didn't even know how to react to it.

Hiding it... Alain was guilty of hiding and shrugging off minor injuries, but it wasn't just that she was hiding it, it was the attitude he was seeing as well. There was something more to this– he'd have to ask her about it when he got the chance, to make sense of the fear and panic he had seen... but that was something to worry about later– for now he needed to get help.

"Meep!"

Alain paused from his stumbling walk as he heard the long call, and he hesitantly glanced around at the grassy fields for the source of the call. He panted for a moment, before shaking his head and continuing on, he had no time to worry about random wild Pokemon. However the long call came again, this time sounding a bit closer. He hesitated, again turning in search for the Pokemon, glancing over his shoulder. He blinked as he made out a small and swift figure running down the road towards him, its mass of fluffy wool bouncing as it ran.

It was a little Mareep, not a surprising thing to encounter with nothing but grasslands around them, but it was surprising to see one alone without a herd. It trotted right up to him, a pair of dark green eyes scanning him for a moment, then it nodding. Its eyes were gleaming victoriously, as if it had just won a battle, but Alain's focus was on the blue item in its mouth.

"My water bottle!" Alain cried.

"Mar," The Mareep baaed, voice muffled because of the bottle.

It dropped the container at Alain's feet, and he could hear the water sloshing around as it hit the ground. Alain didn't hesitate, swiftly reaching down and snatching the bottle from the ground. The water was warm as he raised it to his lips, but it was wet, and it felt so nice running down his throat. After several gulps he paused to catch his breath, stomach twisting as something finally settled in his empty stomach.

"Th-thank you," Alain gasped, skin still burning up, and he narrowed his blurring gaze on the Mareep. The electric type seemed very proud of itself, sparks running across its body as it pranced around Alain, letting out happy bleats. Alain watched Mareep for a moment longer, then he glanced at the water bottle in his hands. "You were with Mairin...?"

He knew that he had left this water bottle for Mairin, so of course this was the only explanation for how the Mareep had brought it. Alain knelt down, not too sure why a wild Pokemon would have gone out of its way to do this, though he was grateful. He gave the Pokemon a small pat on its head, making it pause from its prancing. Alain caught a glimpse of something black under the mass of wool.

He frowned, reaching out to get a better look at the collar on the Mareep. It was fairly simple, no kind of identifier on it, but it did have a small gray stone embedded into it. He recognized it as an everstone, a stone that helped Pokemon resist the energy of evolution. He frowned, but slowly started to realize just what the collar meant.

"You have a trainer," Alain said, voice slightly hoarse, and he took another long drink from the water bottle. "Where's your trainer?"

"Eep?" Mareep blinked his eyes, before tilting his head in thought, and he looked out at the fields surrounding them.

"Could you take me to them?" Alain asked, an urgent tone in his voice. "Y-you saw Mairin, right? She's hurt– I need to find someone..."

He couldn't carry Mairin to safety on his own, and he had no way to contact anyone. He had gotten rid of his Holo Caster nearly a year ago, and hadn't bothered buying any sort of device to replace it. Just as long as he could find someone with at least a phone he could use...

"Mar!" Mareep said after a moment of thought, nodding. He bumped against Alain's legs, and then took off into the grass. Alain hesitated for a moment, before following after the Mareep. The ground was a lot more uneven as he left the main trail, and with his exhausted muscles it made it hard to keep up with the darting shape in the grass. He forced himself to keep moving however, even if it was becoming harder and harder to focus.

While the fields seemed endless and basically a maze to Alain, Mareep seemed to know exactly where he was going. He darted through the long green blades of grass, occasionally pausing or looping back to make sure Alain was still following. Every now and then he'd raise his tail, giving off a few sparks from the blue orb, before continuing on.

Alain wasn't sure how long he followed the Mareep through the winding grass, his blue eyes locked on the small glowing orb of its tail, but it wasn't long until more calls began to fill the air. The baaing of many Mareep made the one that Alain was following perk up, its trot growing faster as it bolted forward.

"Wait–!" Alain called, not wanting to lose his guide, but as he stumbled forward he found himself out of the towering grass. He paused to catch his breath, looking out at the pastures they had just come into. A large herd of Mareep could been seen, most of the electric types laying down in the heat of the sun, but they raised their heads as the one he had been following raced towards them.

"Meep!" He bleated out, tail glowing as he started to spark. The other Mareep gave the same reply, their tails lighting up as well.

But what raised Alain's spirits was the small cabin on the other side of the pasture.

"There you are, Mareep!" A female voice cried, Mareep froze in place.

"Eep!" He cried– swiftly turning and running in the other direction. A blur of orange ranced in front of him, a large Arcanine blocking his path. A young woman jumped off of the canine's back, arms crossed as she looked down at the Mareep.

"You were off battling wilds again, weren't you?" She said, and Mareep puffed up in annoyance. "You need to stay with the rest of the herd!"

"Meep!" He cried, huffing. "Mareep mar!"

"Um... hello?" Alain called uncertainly, not quite how to make himself known. Both the girl and the Arcanine looked up as he spoke, and the Arcanine let out a low growl, flames forming in its mouth.

"Mar!" Mareep cried, darting in front of the Arcanine, sparking. "Meep!"

Alain quickly held up his hands to show the large fire dog that he meant no harm, and the girl laid a calming hand on the Arcanine. "Relax Duke, it's just a kid," She looked out at Alain. "Can I help you?"

"Y-yes, please," Alain said, stumbling forward, causing the Arcanine to growl. "It's– it's my friend, she's hurt. That Mareep lead me here and–"

The girl's colder demeanor melted away into concern. "What happened?"

"She fell, and her ankle is all swollen, I'm pretty sure she's broken it," Alain paused, finding himself panting even though he was no longer walking. "Please, can I use a phone or–"

The woman was approaching him, a frown on her face. "How long have you been out here?" She asked, and he instinctively pulled back. "You look horrible– you need to get out of this heat– come inside."

Alain shook his head. "No, Mairin's still out here," He said. "I need–"

"You need to rest," She insisted, and Mareep butted his head against Alain's leg. "You come inside and tell me just where your friend is, and I'll go get them, alight?"

Alain's head was spinning, starting to pound with a forming headache. The woman grabbed his arm, guiding him towards the cabin, and he began to realize he had no idea where he had left Mairin. He had been planning on sticking to the road, but ever since Mareep had lead him into the grass he had no idea how far– let alone what direction– Mairin was in.

"I..." Alain whispered, and out of the corner of his eye he could see the Mareep looking at him intently. He fingered his water bottle, trying to think through his incoming headache. "Your Mareep knows where she is..."

At least, Alain hoped it did.

"Meep!" Mareep cried, nodding vigorously.

Alain let out an exhausted sigh as he was lead into the cabin, the cool air rushing by his burning skin. Despite being able to feel the cool air around him, his skin still burned as he stumbled inside. He was lead to a couch, where he sat without much argument, and soon the young woman brought him a glass of ice water.

"Drink all of it," She instructed as he began gulping it down. "I will be back as soon as I can. The sink is in the kitchen, make sure to refill the glass, and the bathroom is down the hall," She looked over his feverish skin. "Make sure to rest, your body clearly needs it."

Alain nodded weakly, and the next thing he knew she was rushing out the cabin door, to where her Arcanine and Mareep were waiting.

Alain greedily took a sip of the cold drink, hoping that Mairin wasn't in the same state he was. The cold glass was almost painful against his skin, but yet it felt so good. He held it up to his head after he took another long drink, focusing on trying to get his breathing normal again.

He had been so stupid...

Too focused on one simple request to realize his best friend was hurt. Too focused on rushing to get help that he had left without water– leaving him just as incapacitated as Mairin. How on earth was he supposed to take care of her when he couldn't even walk to find help? He didn't know what he would have done if the Mareep hadn't come, the Pokemon had done more than him!

Pokemon.

Alain groaned as the realization washed over him– he had Pokemon with him this whole time. He could have had Weavile stay with Mairin to keep her cooled off in the heat. Unfezant and Charizard could have flown and looked for help. Metagross and Tyranitar could have carried Mairin so they wouldn't have to be separated.

"You really messed this up," Alain whispered to himself, gritting his teeth.

Wasn't there anything he could do without messing up? Something that could be accomplished that didn't involve those around him getting hurt? They had just been walking to the next town, but somehow he still managed to leave Mairin in pain.

And then her attitude...

Was it because of how he had been acting? Had he just been so focused on what the professor asked of him that she had felt that was even more important than herself? She was most certainly acting that way, though he had a feeling it went deeper...

No matter what it was though, one thing was for sure: he could have been a better friend.

* * *

Mairin's water bottle was now empty.

She wasn't quite sure when she had drained it, but she still couldn't help but press the empty bottle to her lips as her throat begged for water. Her fingers curled slightly as she it pulled it back, firmly reminding herself there was nothing left.

When had it become so hot...?

She turned in the shade, even with the sun not directly on her the air was still filled with the heat. She panted slightly, turning her head up towards the road in hopes of seeing Alain returning. Nothing but an empty path met her eyes, and her gaze fell back to the ground.

He said he'd be back, he said he would...

Mairin twisted, worry gnawing at her. She honestly didn't know what she would do if Alain didn't come back– this heat had sapped any strength she had left, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to drag herself into walking like she had early.

The pain wasn't as bad now that she had been resting, but still her ankle throbbed. She stared at the red joint, wondering if Alain was right about it being broken... was that why he hadn't come back? Fresh tears pricked her eyes, feeling so sick at the thought. Why had she let this happen... why...?

"A-alain...?" Mairin croaked out, but she heard no reply.

She didn't want to be alone...

She closed her eyes, the heat feeling unbearable. It made every movement feel so sluggish, her head felt so heavy. This wasn't natural, this wasn't normal... was she sick? She didn't need that on top of her ankle as well!

"Mar!"

Mairin lifted her head up as she heard a faint call, but she saw nothing. She blinked, head sliding back down, and it called out again. Her ears hummed, and it took her a moment to recognize the cry. Her heart thumped hopefully.

"M-mareep?"

"Mar!" The cry came for the third time– and this time she was able to make out a large figure coming down the path. It wasn't Alain– but it was someone.

She sat up, trying to muster the strength to call out for help, but the figure seemed to already have seen her. The massive creature trotted up towards the tree she was under, and as it came into focus she realized that the strange thing was actually a human riding on the back of a Pokemon. The girl dismounted, the large Arcanine kneeling down so she could slip off.

But it was the mass of white racing towards her that really raised her spirits.

"Meep!" Mareep cried, racing to her side. A mass of fluff pressed up against her, and Mairin weakly patted Mareep as it nuzzled her, and the woman approached her side.

"Quite a nasty fall you took," She muttered, looking over Mairin's ankle, before looking her in the eye. "I'm here to help, my name is Rachel, and your friend sent me."

"A-alain?" Mairin whispered, and Rachel nodded. Mairin smiled faintly, glad that Alain had sent someone to come get her, even if he had gone on ahead.

"Are you okay if I place you on Duke, my Arcanine?" Rachel asked. "I don't want you walking on this, and my cabin isn't too far from here."

"Okay," Mairin whispered, and the women knelt down, and like Alain had early she prepared to pick her up. Mairin braced herself, shivering as the stranger lifted her up into her arms. She grunted, staggering towards her Arcanine, draping Mairin over the fire type's back. The fur was unpleasantly warm– but it was simply a relief to no longer be alone that she pressed into the fur. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the Mareep at the Arcanine's feet, watching her in concern. "Thank you."

Mareep nodded, and Mairin smiled. Rachel was back at the base of the tree, stuffing Mairin's hat and water bottle into her orange backpack, before sliding it over her shoulder. She then mounted onto the Arcanine right behind Mairin, using her arms to steady the quivering girl. She gave Duke a nudge in the side, and the fire type took off running.

Mairin let out a startled gasp at the sudden speed, but Rachel kept her secure as the Arcanine ran. Mairin's hands dug into the long fur of the Pokemon, the wind whipping at them. Her ankle flared up in pain as it was shaken by the running, and Mairin bit down hard on her lip to keep herself from crying out.

She buried her head into the warm fur, simply waiting for the ride to be over.

* * *

Alain pushed himself to his feet the moment the door opened.

A wave of relief washed over him as he saw Mairin limping in through the door, the Mareep lady acting as a crutch for the young girl as she ushered her into the cabin. The relief quickly vanished when he saw Mairin's state though, her skin red and feverish, sweat clinging to her skin and clothes.

Her ankle looked as bad as ever, the swollen joint covered in blue and red marks. The woman guided her over to the couch Alain had just been on, and she shot a glare at Alain, clearly telling him that he should be sitting as well. However he could care less, and he hurried towards Mairin's side.

"Mairin," He said urgently, and she jerked slightly as she sat. Her amber eyes flicked up towards Alain, looking very startled to see him there. She blinked weakly, hesitating.

"A-alain?" She asked in a soft voice– and a fluffy white shape bolted onto the couch. The Mareep was by Mairin's side, nudging her in worry. "You're here?"

"I'm sorry I couldn't come back with the lady to get you," Alain whispered. "It took all of my energy to find help."

She looked down guiltily, and his heart twisted as he realized she was clearly blaming herself. She swallowed hard, the woman having gone back into her kitchen to get water. Her Arcanine was sitting in the doorway, watching the Mareep with narrowed eyes, whom Mairin was petting. Mairin hesitated, slumping back against the couch in exhaustion.

"Y-you were going to come back?" She whispered, and Alain could only stare at her.

Had she thought that he was going to leave?

But yet as this question ran through him a surge of memories rose up as well– of all the times he had left her in the past. His heart thumped weakly, realizing that it was no surprise that this thought had crossed Mairin's mind. But yet to realize that she thought he'd do it while she was hurt... He looked away, wondering just what had been running through her mind under that tree.

"I will _always_ come back," Alain whispered to her. "I promise, Mairin."

The woman came back with the two cups of cold water, pressing each one into their hands. "Drink it all," She insisted. "You are both severely dehydrated!"

"Th-thank Rachel..." Mairin whispered weakly, accepting the water. Her eyes were flickering around as she brought it to her lips, greedily draining the water. Alain had already had several glasses in the time he had been waiting for them to return, but the glare Rachel gave him convinced him that another glass would be okay.

"You two stay there," She said. "You need the rest and to get out of the heat," She brought over an ottoman, carefully swinging Mairin's leg up onto it so it could rest. "I'm going to go make sure my herd is secure, then I'll give you both a ride to Coumarine City so we can get that sprained ankle looked at."

"It's not broken?" Mairin asked weakly, blinking.

Rachel gave a soft smile, taking Mairin's empty glass. "I've been at this ranch my whole life, and I've unfortunately seen my share of injuries, both on myself and on my Pokemon– often times sprains look much more nasty than a break," She sighed. "But you'll want a doctor to look at it– not me."

Mairin flinched.

Rachel didn't notice this however, taking Mairin's glass of water to fill it up once more. Alain on the other hand did notice this reaction, and his gaze narrowed in thought. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word Rachel was back, giving Mairin her cup of water back.

"Now, as I said I'll get both of you a ride to town. It will take me probably a good twenty minutes to get the Mareep into their pen though, but that will give you some time out of the sun," She looked at Alain. "Fill up her glass again when it empties, the most important thing is to make sure neither of you are dehydrated."

Alain nodded. "Of course. Thank you so much for everything, ma'am."

She smiled, heading for the door. "Of course, I'd never leave someone in need," She looked at Mareep. "Come on boy– time for you to get with the rest of the herd."

"Meep!" Mareep cried, eyes widening.

"You've done real well today," Rachel said. "But the sooner you get with the herd the sooner I can take this girl to get some proper help– come along now."

Mareep looked like leaving Mairin's side was the last thing he wanted to do, but he reluctantly hopped off the couch, tail drooping as he followed his trainer outside. The Arcanine was keeping a close eye on the Mareep as they headed out towards the pasture, and the door was shut behind them. Mairin's gaze was locked on her glass as silence filled the cabin, and Alain watched her.

"I'm sorry!" Mairin suddenly blurted out, and a frustrated growl filled Alain's throat.

"Mairin– stop apologizing," He said, perhaps a little harshly, and so he softened his voice as he continued speaking. "You've done nothing wrong, and accidents happen, you have nothing to apologize for."

"But we were supposed to meet the professor–" Mairin began.

"I'll call him when we get to the city and explain what happened," Alain said, trying to lessen her worry. "You know the professor, Mairin, you getting treatment is much more important than some meet-up," He looked away. "If anyone should be apologizing though, it's me."

"But you didn't do anything..." Mairin whispered.

He clenched his fists. "Exactly. I didn't do anything. You were hurt and in pain– and I didn't do anything about it," He looked at her again. "Mairin. I really am sorry that you got hurt– but we still can't ignore how... how we went about this."

She flinched. "I'm sorry–!"

He grabbed her wrist. "Mairin, I said to stop apologizing– you have done nothing wrong," He turned to face her, taking in a deep breath. "I... I should have noticed something was wrong sooner, but... but you should have told me you were hurt!"

"I didn't want to slow you down," She whispered.

Alain sighed, letting go on her wrist. "...Mairin, we're traveling companions, aren't we?" He asked, and she gave a small nod. "Then there is no 'slowing each other down'– we're traveling together after all," He gave a gentle smile to the young girl. "You're my best friend, Mairin, and as much as I do care about my job with the professor, you will _always_ come before some errand," He gave her hair a friendly ruffle, and she flushed as she pushed his hand away. "Just promise me that you'll tell me next time you're hurt, okay?"

She looked hesitant. "But I'm just a klutz," She whispered. "I'm just going to fall again."

"Yeah, you probably are," Alain agreed, smirking as she turned red. "But if you get hurt like this again you let me know, okay?"

Mairin hesitated, eyes a bit wide, and she gave a small nod. "O-okay, I promise."

She wasn't looking at him, and she took a long sip of water as silence settled in around them. It was still hot, but in the cabin away from the sun, and with the glasses of water in their hands, both he and Mairin were starting to look much better. She was leaning against the back of the couch, gaze unfocused as she stared straight ahead. Alain glanced at her ankle, which still looked as horrible as before.

Alain set his glass of water to the side, then reached out and pulled Mairin into a hug. She looked slightly startled as he pulled her into the embrace– it was very rare that he initiated any form of contact– but he was simply too relieved that she was okay. After a moment she returned the hug, her arms tightly wrapping around him.

"Thank you for not leaving me behind," She whispered, voice muffled as she hugged him.

* * *

Mairin wished she could have said goodbye to the Mareep that had helped her and Alain, but she simply didn't know what to say as Alain and Rachel helped her out into Rachel's car. They had already done so much for her today that she didn't dare to ask for anything more, and she could only look out at the empty pasture as they got into the car.

The car had no roof, so Alain had been insistent that Mairin ride in the front so she could be near the AC. She didn't complain, and so she was currently riding in the front seat, cool air blasting as they drove down the road towards the next city. Rachel's car was older, but the vehicle ran smoothly. Her ankle was still throbbing, aching every time they went over a bump, but she didn't make a sound.

"They have really reliable doctors in Coumarine City," Rachel said with a smile. "Don't you worry, they'll have you all patched up in no time."

Mairin shivered– she didn't like doctors.

"Thank you for everything," Alain said from the backseat, having to raise his voice a bit so he could be heard over the roar of the car. "If there's anyway to repay you–"

Rachel waved a hand in dismissal, eyes glued to the road. "Having the opportunity to help some folks is all I need," She flashed a smile in the mirror at Alain. "No repayment needed– you two kids just be extra careful from now on."

Mairin stared out the front window, barely listening to the conversation.

She was so confused.

She understood that Alain cared about her– he had done so much for her over their travels– but she just couldn't understand why he was pushing it this far. It was her fault that she got hurt, and he didn't have to worry himself over that. Him dropping everything in his life to worry over her ankle was almost startling, and she just didn't understand how to react to it. To realize that he cared that much felt amazing...

But she just didn't want to see his disappointment when he realized that she wasn't worth his worry.

"Meep!"

Mairin was jerked out of her thoughts as she heard a familiar call, and she wasn't the only one. Rachel blinked in surprise, looking at the rearview mirror. Mairin twisted in her seat to look behind them, careful not to shift her ankle. Peering out of the open trunk was a familiar blue face, a pair of proud green eyes shining.

Alain pulled back as a certain Mareep jumped out of the trunk and onto the seat next to him, electricity crackling across the Pokemon's wool as he looked at the humans. Rachel had a frustrated look in her eyes, and she pulled over to the side of the road. As she put the car into park she unbuckled, twisting in her seat so she could look at the Pokemon.

"And just what are you doing here?" Rachel asked Mareep, arms crossed.

"Mar!" He bleated at her, huffing.

"I am so sorry," Rachel said, looking at them. "I've had some problems with this one– he always manages to get away from the rest of the herd..." She gave a small smile. "Mareep are usually pretty docile– but every now and then I come across a few that are a bit more... wild," She looked at the Mareep that had joined them. "I swear this little guy is like a dragon– just always looking for a good battle."

"That's why he has an everstone," Alain realized, blinking.

Rachel chuckled. "Yep. I can't have him evolving, even with his love of battling– he'll produce less wool that way," She sighed. "It looks like he'll be joining us for the ride into town."

Mairin smiled. "I'm glad that he is," She leaned her arm across into the backseat, patting Mareep's head. "I never got to thank him."

Alain nodded in agreement. "Who knows what would have happened if it wasn't for him."

"Come up here," Mairin said, patting her lap. "You can ride with me."

Mareep beamed, then leapt from the backseat to the front. He curled up on Mairin's lap, letting out a content baa as she patted him. He pressed his head up against her, giving Mairin a small lick, causing her to let out a giggle. Rachel watched them for a moment as she put her seatbelt back on, blinking slowly.

"You can go now," Mairin said when she made no effort to restart the car. "I don't mind him riding on my lap– it's okay."

Rachel shook her head. "No, it's not okay," She muttered, and Mairin's eyes widened uncertainly, and she went to move the Mareep from off of her. "No– no, he can ride with you."

"Oh," Mairin said, uncertainly glancing back at Alain. "Then what's not okay...?"

Rachel didn't reply right off, staring at Mareep a little longer. He stared up at his human, blinking his green eyes. The rancher let out a small sigh, lips twisted in thought. "...You've never been happy in the herd."

"Mar," He said, the blue orb on his tail flickering.

Rachel crossed her arms. "Well? What do you want to do about it then?"

Mareep blinked slowly, staring at Rachel. After a moment his eyes lit up, a smile on his face– and he rubbed his head against Mairin, front legs pawing at her arms. "Meep!" He called. "Mareep mar!"

"H-huh?" Mairin was confused at the sudden burst of intense affection, Mareep pressing up against her more and more.

Rachel gave a small sigh, but she was smiling. She reached out for Mareep, hands wrapping around the everstone collar, pulling it off of Mareep. The electric type had a grin on his face, and he looked up at Mairin happily. Still confused to just what was going on, she scratched Mareep's neck, loosening the wool that had been pressed down by the collar.

"Mairin," Rachel said, setting the collar in a cup holder. "Would you be willing to take Mareep with you?"

"What?" Mairin asked. "But he's your Pokemon–!"

Rachel smiled. "Technically yes– but I'm just a rancher. I raised Mareep for wool– the only one in a Pokeball is my Arcanine, the rest are just livestock," She reached out, patting Mareep's head. "The collars I keep on them prevent them from being captured, but this little guy here wants more than a pasture to graze on. He's a fighter," She looked at Mairin. "And well, you're a trainer. One that he likes– but most importantly one that likes him. The most important thing with Pokemon is making sure that they're happy– and I think you will make Mareep far more happier than I could."

Mairin looked down at Mareep. He was grinning up at her, tail thumping. She stared down at him for a moment, and again he started nuzzling her. "Meep!"

Mairin hesitated, before petting him. "Um... it has been a long time since I caught a Pokemon..." She swallowed hard. "Mareep...? Do you really want to come with me?"

"Mar!" He cried, sparks racing across him, and he nodded.

A smile came over Mairin's face. "Really?"

"Eep!" He said, jumping up, pressing his legs against her chest as he licked her face. Mairin giggled, pressing him back, where he continued to lick her hands. She looked down at the sheep Pokemon for a moment longer.

Then she grinned. "Well then– if you're going to be a part of my team you're going to need a name!"

"Meep!"

She scratched him under the chin. "Hmm... You need a cool name... How about I call you... Zachary? Or maybe just Zach?"

The Mareep thought this over, before giving her a nod. "Mar."

Mairin grinned, before throwing her arms around the newly named Pokemon. "Welcome to the team, Zach!"

"You better be good," Rachel said, looking at her former Pokemon sternly. "You listen to what she says– and no running off."

"Mar," Zach said, giving her a nod, before pressing up against Mairin once more.

Rachel started up the car, and Alain was watching the Mareep thoughtfully. He had a smile on his face, looking very glad to see Mairin looking happy for the first time that day. He leaned back in his seat as Rachel pulled the car out onto the road, once again continuing their journey. Mairin continued petting her new team member, wondering if she had any Pokeballs on her or if she would need to buy some– it had been ages since she had caught a Pokemon after all.

* * *

"I'm just worried about her... that's all, Professor," Alain said softly, looking at the video phone. It was pretty late– the night sky outside dark– but Alain was simply glad that this exhausting day was over. "Just the way she was acting... it was scary, to be honest."

"The fact that she was trying to hide it is pretty worrying," Professor Sycamore agreed, his image on the video phone flickering. "But what matters is the fact that she's alright now," He looked at his assistant. "I want you to stay with Mairin in town until she's able to walk on her ankle again, alright? Consider all of your assignments on hold until then."

Alain gave a small smile. "That's what I was planning on doing, Professor."

"What did the doctor say?"

"He said probably about two to three weeks until she can walk without the crutches," Alain said. "It might have been sooner, but since she strained it so much with walking this morning..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "She wasn't too eager to go to the doctors."

"What child is?" Sycamore asked teasingly, but Alain just shook his head again.

"It wasn't like that," Alain whispered, but he simply didn't know how to describe Mairin's reaction. He wanted to ask her why she had been so on edge, but the look in her eye had kept him from asking. She had been so pale in the office that he hadn't pressed anything, and she didn't relax until they were back at the Pokemon Center.

"Chespie! Be nice to Zachy!" A familiar voice called, and Alain sighed.

"Need to go?" Sycamore asked, and Alain nodded.

"Yep, it seems new team member introductions aren't going well," He muttered, and he smiled at the professor. "I'll talk to you soon, sir– goodnight."

"Goodnight," Professor Sycamore replied, and the screen went black. Alain stared at it for a moment, before heading down the hallway of the Pokemon Center. He had already book them two rooms for the next few weeks. He found Mairin's door open as he approached, and he walked in to see what ruckus was happening.

"Chespin pin!" Chespie cried, sparks of electricity running across him. The grass type's movements were stiff and slow, but that didn't stop the Chespin from yelling at the sheep in front of him.

"Meep!" Zach snapped, turning his nose up, making Chespie growl.

"What's going on here?" Alain asked, and four pairs of eyes turned to look at him.

Mairin was sitting on her bed, ankle wrapped up and her crutches abandoned on the bedspread. On her shoulder was Bébé, her Flabébé, who looked very uneasy with contention below. On the ground was Chespie, the Chespin currently paralyzed. Next to him was Zach, the Mareep looking very tense.

"Chespin ches pinpin!" Chespie cried, Zach calling out at the same moment with his own cries.

"Meep mar!"

"Ches!"

"Mar!"

"_Ches–!"_

"Enough!" Alain snapped, and both fell silent, and he looked at Mairin for an explanation. She scratched the back of her head uncertainly.

"Well, I was introducing Zach to the rest of the team," Mairin said. "Chespie kept poking at Zach's wool, I think he likes how fluffy it is, and Zach didn't like that..." She bit her lip. "Long story short, Zach tackled him and got Chespie paralyzed– I think Zach's ability or something?– and now Chespie's upset about that and Zach won't apologize."

Alain rubbed his head. "We're at a Pokemon Center– we can get you unparalyzed in just a few minutes," He told Chespie, who let out a huff, sparks of electricity still coming off of him. "Zach, if you're going to be traveling with us you need to get along with the rest of the team– no attacking each other. And Chespie– no poking if Zach doesn't like it."

Both Pokemon hesitated, glaring at each other, before giving Alain a small nod. Mairin beamed, but Alain had a feeling that this bickering wasn't just going to be put in the past. Fighting among teammates was never a good thing... and he didn't want to play babysitter.

He walked over, sitting next to Mairin on the bed. "Well, we're going to be here for a few weeks."

She nodded. "I'm–"

"Mairin, if you say 'I'm sorry' one more time I'm going to throw away all of the candy in your bag."

She fell silent.

"Anyways," Alain said with a slight smile. "As I was saying, we're going to be here for awhile– so I was wondering what you wanted to do in that time."

She bit her lip. "I... I was thinking about that actually..."

He sat up a bit, glad that she was thinking about something that wasn't about her ankle. "Really? What did you have in mind?"

Mairin shifted uncertainly, before glancing at her Pokemon, who gave her encouraging nods. "I was thinking about doing some training..." She whispered, and she looked up at Alain. "I– I want to take on the gym leader."

"Ramos?" Alain asked, blinking.

Mairin flinched. "I know, it's a stupid idea–"

"I think that's a great idea," Alain said, smiling. "And a perfect way to get help your team to bond," He looked at Mairin, who seemed surprised as his approval. "Do you want me to help you train? I wouldn't mind giving you some tips."

Mairin gave him a small smile. "That'd be really helpful."

He put an arm around her shoulder. "We'll just have to be careful about your ankle– but we can start training tomorrow morning if you'd like."

Her smile grew. "That sounds perfect, thank you, Alain!"

He pushed himself to his feet. "I'll take Chespie to Nurse Joy– you get to bed, it's been a long day."

She nodded slowly. "Alright."

He scooped up the disgruntled Chespie, who was still glaring at Zach. He headed towards the door, before pausing. He watched Mairin for a moment as she struggled to stand, reaching for the crutches to brace herself on as she stood up. She panted as she stood, then finally realized that Alain was watching her.

"If you need help with anything these next few days, let me know," He said. "I can bring you your meals, take your Pokemon to the Center's desk," He glanced down at the Chespin in the crook of his arm. "I'm here to help."

She gave an uncertain nod, looking down at her feet, where Zach was standing at her side. "Th-thank you."

He watched her for a moment longer. "...Mairin, why didn't you want to go to the doctors?"

She flashed him a pleading look– clearly not wanting to talk about it. A part of Alain told him to just drop the subject, but he continued to watch her with an even stare, waiting for a reply. She shifted, Bébé still on her shoulder, but still he waited. Finally she swallowed hard, staring intensely at the floor.

"They remind me of my sister," She whispered in the smallest of voices.

Alain's brow narrowed. "...You have a sister?" He asked, slightly surprised at this. She had mentioned her parents and brother before, and she had excitedly told him about her unborn niece– but never had she talked about a sister. "Since when?"

Mairin looked slightly pale. "Sh-she's the oldest in the family... and she's a doctor," Her voice was trembling. "And so d-doctor offices make me think of her..." Her voice became a whisper. "And I don't want to think about M-mercy."

Something wasn't right– and Alain knew it. There was more to this story, more to this sudden sister, and the logical side of his mind told him to ask more. To learn all that he could, and free Mairin from that fearful look in her eyes. He almost gave in to these thoughts, mouth opening to demand more information.

He knew Mairin, if he pressed her she would cave in and tell him what he wanted to know.

But those amber eyes stared into his, silently begging him to drop the subject, her gaze looking so tormented from the mere thought. He hesitated for a moment, his next question on his tongue, but his icy blue eyes couldn't leave her gaze. His heart pounded, and he simply knew he couldn't put her through anymore– today had been hard enough.

But it was very clear there was more to Mairin than a happy girl with a perfect smile.

"...If you ever need anyone to talk to," Alain said in the gentlest voice he could, making it clear that he was simply there for her. "About anything– then I'll be here to listen. No matter what."

She watched him, gaze slightly wary, voice a whisper. "...Thank you."

There was no gratitude in her tone, only her trying to swiftly end the conversation. He shifted Chespie closer to him, who had fallen asleep, and decided that for now this would be enough. He didn't know everything, but she did know that he would be there. Perhaps there wasn't anything he could do now, but when the time came he would be ready to support her.

He shot a glance over his shoulder, watching as Mairin limped forward on her crutches, Zach by her side.

Mairin was strong.

She would be okay.


	3. Gym

**Gym (Alain-15, Mairin-12)**

"Mairin, wait up–!" Alain called, panting as he stumbled a stop. He braced himself against a wall of a building, trying to catch his breath.

"Hurry up, Ali!" A voice called from down the street, pure excitement in her tone. Alain wearily looked up, not quite sure on how the girl managed to outpace him. Mairin paused at the street corner, bouncing happily with her crutches in hand.

It had been a week since she had sprained her ankle, but Mairin had proven to be quite adaptable. She had swiftly learned out to navigate the city with her crutches with ease, basically swinging herself about as they wound their way through the streets. More often than not Alain felt as if he were going to get a heart attack with how lax she was about her ankle, acting as if the wound were nothing more than a bruise.

"Please don't call me that," Alain muttered as he walked towards her, more annoyed that she was declaring his nickname to the public more than he was about her using it. She simply flashed him a grin as he approached, before darting off around the corner. Her Pokemon were in pursuit– a Chespin, Flabébé, and Mareep right at her heels. Alain flinched as they danced about her legs and crutches, afraid one of them would trip the young girl.

"We're going to have a gym battle!" Mairin cried excitedly. "My very first one– hurry up, Alain!"

No matter how worn down he looked, Alain was actually looking forward to the gym battle that would be taking place. He had taken on the gym challenge only a year before– but those battles had been him literally sweeping through the matches with one member of his team– or just using Charizard when the gym leader had mega evolution. The battles had been swift, interesting, and had only been done last minute so he could get to the league and battle Ash.

...And collect mega evolution energy...

He pushed the thoughts from his mind without even blinking, having grown use to these intrusive thoughts. The mocking voice in his head only popped up on occasion, his fear having died down in the last year– the only thing that remained was the horrendous guilt. It was still a struggle he dealt with, but he found that shoving it aside worked. Usually.

He eventually caught up with Mairin– who was staring up at the giant tree that was the gym with a look of awe. Her Pokemon quivered in excitement as well, but soon a frown crossed Mairin's face. She glanced down at her ankle, then at Alain, shifting uncertainly.

"Um, I know the gym is _in_ the tree..." Mairin said slowly. "But it isn't at the top of the tree... is it?"

"Usually, yes," Alain said, heading towards the gym. "That's where I had my battle with Ramos. That's one of the reasons why I wanted to schedule your gym battle for you– I requested that you have your match outside the gym because of your ankle."

"Oh," Mairin said, relaxing slightly as they continued on to the gym. There was a smile tugging at her lips again, and her Pokemon were chirring with excitement. Alain didn't blame them, since Mairin had always been such a passive trainer this was really their first real competitive moment. He knew that none of her Pokemon would want to let her down, but Alain knew there was really nothing they could do to upset Mairin. She'd love them no matter what.

"And I'm guessing this is our little gym challenger," A voice said behind them, and they could hear the clopping of hooves. They turned around to see Ramos riding up on his Gogoat, a smile on his face. Ramos nodded at Alain, clearly recognizing him from when he had signed up Mairin yesterday– but Alain knew that he also recognized him from everything that had gone down with Team Flare.

Alain was just glad he didn't bring anything up.

"Are you the gym leader?" Mairin asked eagerly, while her team nervously stared at the Gogoat.

"I am indeed, lass," Ramos said with a tip of his hat. "And I see why we couldn't have a match on the main field. Don't worry though, we have another outdoor battlefield just on the other side of the tree. I can let Gogoat here carry you if so you don't have to walk all the way."

Mairin's eyes lit up. "Really? That would be awesome!"

Ramos dismounted his Gogoat, nodding at the grass type– who summoned two vines from his shoulders. Alain quickly stepped forward to take Mairin's crutches as the Gogoat reached out, wrapping his vines around Mairin and placing her on his back. The young girl had the biggest grin on her face as she sat on top of the Pokemon, grabbing his horns for balance. The goat Pokemon tossed its head, and with a small whistle from Ramos it began to trot towards the gym.

"Don't go too fast–!" Alain cried to the grass type, and the gym leader set his hand on his shoulder.

"Gogoat can sense her emotions as long as her hands stay on his horns," Ramos said. "He won't do anything that can hurt her ankle more, don't you worry," His eyes glanced over Mairin's team with a frown, looking at Alain with a slightly confused look. "So these will be her Pokemon?"

"Don't underestimate them," Alain said, starting forward so Mairin wouldn't be alone when they reached the battlefield, her crutches under one arm. The Pokemon followed his lead, all of them bolting after their trainer, leaving the gym leader behind.

* * *

The Gogoat came to a stop at the end on a simple battlefield, kneeling down near where a trainer was supposed to stand. He used Vine Whip to help her get off, standing next to her so she had something to hold onto since she had left her crutches with Alain. She smiled as she slowly stroked the Pokemon.

"Thank you," She told the Gogoat softly, and he tossed his head. He was a beautiful and powerful creature– and she hoped that she wouldn't have to battle him.

But this was her first gym battle, and she doubted that a gym leader would use stronger Pokemon for such a match.

The others eventually caught up to them, Alain hurrying straight to her side and giving her back her crutches. He took his time, making sure that she was balanced on them before backing away. Mairin let out a giggle as her Pokemon pressed up around her– Bébé on her shoulder, Chespie wrapping his arms around her leg– glaring at Zach as he nuzzled that same leg. She grinned down at her Pokemon, heart hammering in her chest.

"Are you guys ready for this?" She asked in a small voice. They had been training all week, under Alain's guidance as well, but...

They called out happily, excitement in their eyes. Ramos' Gogoat trotted away from them, heading towards the other side of the battlefield where the gym leader now stood. The grass type user had two Pokeballs in his hands, a smile on his face as he expanded one in his hand.

"Are you ready for your battle, lass?" He called.

"Y-yep!" Mairin said, a slight waver in her voice.

"Wait," Alain said, frowning. "Don't we need a battle judge for an official match?"

Ramos nodded. "Yep. And that's going to be you– no playing favorites though!"

Alain's eyes widened. "Wait– I'm not qualified to be a judge!" He said, shaking his head. "I'm just a trainer."

Ramos let out a hearty laugh, stroking his Gogoat. "You won the Kalos League last year, which opens up several doors for you. The obvious one is the right to challenge the Elite Four and eventually the champion– but you also are considered an ace trainer, which means you can judge official battles of gym ranking and lower. So will you be willing to judge this match?"

Alain looked slightly skeptical at this information, or perhaps he simply didn't want to be reminded of the league. He looked towards Mairin for a moment, as if wanting her to decide, and she gave him an uncertain smile. She didn't mind if Alain judged this match, she knew that he knew every rule there was to a battle, and that he would be fair when it came to calls as well. He pressed his lips together for a moment, before slowly making his way to the side of the battlefield, and Ramos beamed.

"Wonderful!" The gym leader said, then he turned to face Mairin. "This is going to be a two on two match– the gym battle will be over when one side's team is no longer able to battle. Substitution is also allowed for you as the challenger."

Mairin nodded, Alain having already informed her of the standard rules for most gyms. Chespie and Zach both stepped forward eagerly as Ramos sent out his first Pokemon, a bright burst of light coming from the Pokeball. A Skiploom took shape on the field, before it rose up into the air.

"Alright..." Mairin said, fidgeting nervously. "Um... Zach– you're up first!"

"Mar!" Zach cried excitedly, bolting onto the battlefield.

"Ch-ches?!" Chespie cried, freezing up as she said this. The Chespin spun around to face Mairin, giving his trainer a look of shock.

"This is, um, an official gym battle between Mairin and Ramos," Alain said uncertainly. "I mean, between challenger Mairin Floraison and Gym Leader Ramos. Challenger gets the first move!"

"Zach, er, use Thunder Shock!" Mairin ordered, not allowing herself to hesitate. The Mareep grinned, sparks forming around him as he released a bust of electricity up at the Skiploom.

"Dodge it," Ramos said, and the green Pokemon drifted away from the attack. "Bullet Seed."

The Skiploom opened its mouth, releasing a flurry of seeds down onto the Mareep. The seeds burst as they hit Zach, causing the Mareep to let out a cry. The orb on his tail began to glow, and he formed another Thunder Shock. The Bullet Seeds were still raining down on him as he released the second burst of electricity, this time striking the Skiploom.

"Tackle!" Mairin said as the grass type began to fall, and Zach raced forward, lowering his head. He slammed into the Pokemon, sending him across the battlefield. Zach puffed up his wool proudly, but the Skiploom merely spread its petals as it hit the ground, catching a breeze and bouncing back into the air.

Ramos didn't look too concerned. "Tackle it back, then go for a Fairy Wind."

Skiploom dove at Zach, aiming for his feet to knock the sheep to the ground. The Pokemon weaved away from a jolt of electricity meant to deter him, a happy little smile on his face as he began to glow. A pink light came from him, a small gale being sent right at Zach. The Mareep braced himself as he was hit, trying to keep his footing.

"Meep!" He cried, releasing a Thunder Shock– but once again the Skiploom merely looped out of the way.

"Loom!" Skiploom said, tauntingly flying above.

"Stop, Zach," Mairin said, knowing that repeated attacks weren't going to work. "Let's use... Cotton Spore– slow him down!"

His wool faintly glowed, spores floating up from him. Skiploom swiftly went into a dive, but the Cotton Spore seemed to track him, drifting after the grass type. They stuck to him as they hit, the puffs of wool clinging to his petals and body, throwing the Skiploom off balance. He spun around in the air, spiraling towards the ground.

Zach didn't wait for an order, charging forward with a Tackle, slamming into the Pokemon once more.

Ramos frowned. "Bullet Seed."

The Skiploom rolled over onto its feet, releasing another flurry of seeds. Zach turned to the side so the Bullet Seeds were hitting his thick wool coat instead of his face. The orb on his tail flickered, sparks running across his body as he prepared another Thunder Shock. Mairin saw he was about to attack again, and swiftly called out.

"Use Thunder Shock!" She gave the order at the same time he released the attack, bolts of electricity flying from him and hitting the grounded Skiploom. The grass type let out a small growl, still trying to get the Cotton Spore off of him so he could get back into the air. "Tackle!"

Zach charged forward, once again hitting the Skiploom– but the force of his strike knocked some of the remaining puffs off of him. The Skiploom spread its petals, spinning them about, slowing himself so he didn't crash into the ground. Skiploom flicked his body, knocking the rest of the Cotton Spores off from him, zipping back into the air.

"Meep!" Zach cried, releasing another Thunder Shock up at him.

"...Your Pokemon is attacking on its own," Ramos said with a slight frown. "Recently captured, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah..." Mairin said uncertainly, glancing at Zach.

The Mareep wasn't disobeying her or ignoring orders– he just liked to throw in his own attacks when he saw a chance. Alain had told her that this was to be expected with a new Pokemon though, since they weren't used to acting only on orders. It took time for them to learn to only depend on their trainer, and to gain the trust to do so.

"Fairy Wind," Ramos said, and a gust of pink energy was fired down onto Zach.

The gale hit Zach straight on this time, the breeze knocking him onto his side. The Mareep let out a small groan at this, lifting his head up unhappily– but the Skiploom was already diving down, a Bullet Seed forming in his mouth. The flurry of seeds rained down onto the Mareep, the electric type being hidden in a small cloud of dust as they exploded.

"Eep!"

"Zach!" Mairin cried nervously. The gym Pokemon were so much stronger than she had expected, and she was slowly realizing that she should have trained more. The Skiploom gilded near the ground, waiting for the dust to fade so he could strike once more.

A small yellow shape rushed out of the fading plume– Zach ramming into the Skiploom with a powerful Tackle.

"Mar!" He snarled, knocking the grass type from the air, the force of the blow slamming him into the ground. The Skiploom was panting as it hit the battlefield, and Zach wasn't waiting to see if he was down. Sparks crackled around his wool, a Thunder Shock being sent out from him. "Meep!"

The Skiploom let out a groan of pain, and didn't rise back up into the air.

Alain raised a hand up into the air. "Ramos' Skiploom is unable to battle– that means this first round goes to Mairin and Zach!"

"Mar," Zach said, holding up his head proudly. The electric type looked back at Mairin, who took a moment to realize that they had defeated the first Pokemon. A smile slowly spread over her face, and if it wasn't for the cast on her leg she would have ran forward and hugged the Mareep.

"Awesome work, Zachy!" Mairin called out instead. "Um, can you still battle?"

"Mar," He nodded, throwing a smirk at Chespie– a dark scowl appearing over the little grass type's face.

"Are you ready to face my next Pokemon?" Ramos asked as he recalled his Skiploom, and Mairin gave a small nod. "Alright then– Carnivine you're up next!"

Mairin couldn't help but gulp slightly as the grass type was released, the Pokemon hovering menacingly above the battlefield, a grin on its face as it looked down at Zach. The Mareep took a startled step back, and began to spark his wool to show he wasn't going to back down. She had never seen this kind of Pokemon in person before– but boy did it look powerful.

Alain shot a glance at her, but raised his hand to start the next match. "The challenger may switch Pokemon if you– if they wish to."

"We're good," Mairin said quietly, and at her side Chespie let out a bitter huff. "Zach, use Thunder Shock!"

The Mareep released a burst of electricity, but the Carnivine barely looked affected, leaf-like hands curling as she waited for orders. Ramos was watching Mairin and her Pokemon closely, as if waiting for a reaction of some kind.

"Carnivine is a pure grass type– meaning she has a natural resistance to electricity unlike Skiploom," He said, leaning back against his Gogoat. "Carnivine, use Growth."

The grass type spread its leaves out so they were facing up towards the sun, and a glow engulfed the Pokemon, increasing its energy. Zach let out a nervous titter, and charged forward with a Tackle, but the grass type merely drifted up out of reach.

"Try a–" Mairin began, but Ramos cut her off.

"Leaf Tornado," Ramos snapped his fingers, and a burst of razor sharp leaves began to form around the Carnivine. They whipped around her faster and faster as they gained speed– before being released down at Zach. The swirling twister of leaves engulfed him, sending the electric type across the battlefield with a cry of pain.

The attack died down, leaving a fainted Mareep in its wake.

Alain closed his eyes for a moment. "...Zach is unable to battle, Carnivine wins this match. The challenger may switch in their last Pokemon."

Mairin reached for a Pokeball, recalling Zach in a burst of red light. She struggled to hold the Pokeball and her balance on both of the crutches, and Alain looked like he was going to hurry to her side. But Chespie summoned a Vine Whip to help keep her stable, but yet he refused to look at her.

"Good job, Zach," Mairin said softly, slipping the Pokeball away. She glanced at her two remaining Pokemon– Bébé on her shoulder and Chespie at her side. She sat up a bit, squaring her shoulders. "Okay Chespie– you're up now!"

"...Pin!" A voice snapped, and she glanced down at Chespie. The grass type was retracting his vines, looking away from her, arms crossed.

"Chespie?" Mairin asked uncertainly. "Don't you want to battle?"

The Chespin hesitated, looking back up at her for a moment– and this was enough for Mairin to know that he did want to battle. But there was a bitterness in his eyes, and he swiftly looked away again. Worry spread over Mairin's face, and Chespie again looked at her, frustration in his gaze.

"Chespin ches!" He cried, tears stinging his eyes. He pointed towards Zach's Pokeball, then towards Mairin. "Pinpin chespin pin ches! Chespin pinpin!"

Though she didn't understand a word of what he was saying, Mairin was slightly taken back by this sudden attitude. She nervously glanced towards Alain and Ramos. Alain looked worried, but yet not surprised, while the gym leader looked impatient. Bébé was staring down at Chespie, unimpressed.

"...Are you upset because I sent Zach out?" Mairin said uncertainly. She knew that the two of them didn't get along, but still... it wasn't like this was the first time she had used someone besides Chespie– Bébé had been on the team nearly as long as Chespie had.

"Pin!" Chespie cried, stamping one of his feet. He nodded, but Mairin had a feeling that this was only the tip of his anger. Again he let out a long series of chitters, waving his arms and vines– pointing from her, to himself, to the gym battle, even to Alain– desperately trying to convey his frustration. "Chespin ches ches!"

"You're upset because..." She hesitated, not knowing exactly what the Pokemon was trying to tell her. "Because..." She swallowed. "You feel I've been paying more attention to Zach than you... right?"

"Pin!" He cried, nodding angrily– pointing out to the gym battle once more.

"You think I've been depending more on him than you," Mairin said– and apparently this was exactly what Chespie was trying to say. The anger faded from his gaze, the little grass type looking up at her watery eyes.

"Chespin pin," He whimpered.

"Chespie, do you remember what Alain told us at the beginning of the week?" Mairin asked quietly, and the grass type looked slightly confused. "Before we started training?"

"...Pin?"

"The reason why I've been training Zach more was because he needed more training than you, he wasn't as experienced as you are," She closed her eyes for a moment. "Alain said that gym leaders save their strongest Pokemon for last– so I was just doing the same thing when I sent out Zach first."

Chespie went still.

"I wasn't trying to replace you with Zach," Mairin said. "I didn't mean to make you feel like you were being ignored– you're the most reliable Pokemon I've got."

The grass type was watching her with wide eyes, looking slightly taken back. All the anger in his gaze was now gone, and he glanced around at everyone uncertainly, before returning his eyes to Mairin. He swallowed– before bolting forward and hugging her leg. Mairin wished she could kneel down and return it, Chespie's small arms wrapping around her.

"Ches..." He whispered apologetically, clutching her tighter.

"Do you want to battle, Chespie?" Mairin asked, and the Chespin pulled back.

"Chespin ches!" He gave her a nod– before running and bolting onto the battlefield. The Carnivine looked down at him with narrowed eyes, but the Chespin held his ground. Mairin glanced towards Alain, who gave her an approving nod.

"Are we ready to continue?" Ramos asked, sounding slightly impatient. Not as if he were in a rush, but more as if he were silently saying that this problem was one that should have been handled before the gym battle had begun. Mairin nodded, and Alain raised his hand over his head.

"Both trainers are down to their final Pokemon– Chespie versus Carnivine. Begin."

"Pin Missile!" Mairin shouted, and the spines on Chespie's head began to glow green.

"Growth," Ramos said, and Mairin shifted nervously as she watched the Carnivine gather more strength, her leaves glowing. Chespin fired the Pin Missile, the green spines speeding towards the grass type, who flinched as she was hit with the bug type move.

That was of some relief to Mairin, showing that the Pokemon wasn't just strong enough to take Chespie's moves without a flinch. Still, those jaws on the Carnivine looked nasty... it clearly wasn't a weak Pokemon. She knew that gym battles were supposed to be a challenge, but she also knew that gym leaders were supposed to use weaker Pokemon for newer trainers. This was her first match, but the Pokemon were much stronger than what she had been expecting. Perhaps gym battles weren't meant for her after all...

Mairin swiftly shook her head, trying to regain her focus. "Um– Tackle!"

"Bite," Ramos ordered, and his Carnivine dove to meet Chespie as he charged forward. Her jaws snapped open, a dark aura surrounding her fangs. She crunched down onto Chespie, the small Pokemon letting out a cry of pain as he was lifted up into the air.

"Toxic!" Mairin snapped, surprising even herself when she didn't freeze up. Chespie struggled in the Carivine's jaws for a moment, his head and one arm hanging out of its mouth. He gritted his teeth as her heard Mairin's command, a glow surrounding his spines. He released a cloud of purple around him, the Carnivine choking as the Toxic engulfed her.

Mairin's heart was pounding, but a few moments later Chespie was released, falling to the ground as a Leaf Tornado attempted to blow the Toxic away. But the damage had been done, a purple tinge spreading across the Pokemon's skin. The Carnivine was coughing, small eyes narrowed in frustration as the poison began to take its toll.

"Pin!" Chespie called.

"Tackle it," Mairin said, but the Carnivine was too high in the air for the Chespin to reach her. This doesn't stop him from trying, jumping up in an attempt to grab its form.

"Up you go," Ramos said with a flick of his hand, and his Carnivine drifted even higher into the air. Chespie huffed up at it, then glanced at Mairin for another command. "Acid Spray."

The Carnivine opened its mouth, choking back a cough, before releasing a purple liquid from her mouth. The Acid Spray rained down on Chespie, the grass type letting out a scream as the poison sizzled against his skin. Chills raced up Mairin's back, just staring at her Pokemon as he quivered in pain.

At Ramos' command the Carnivine formed a Leaf Tornado, the whirlwind of razor sharp leaves slamming into Chespie, sending him across the field.

"Chespie!"

"Bite."

"Um... Vine Whip!" Mairin countered, but the moment she called it she knew it was a poor idea. Twin vines formed along Chespie's neck, and he swung them at the incoming Carnivine. Her jaws snapped open, seizing them with her mouth, and she threw Chespie into the air. Her heart was racing at seeing her starter in such a position, but yet her mind seemed to remain clear. "Pin Missile!"

Chespie twisted himself around as he was falling, the light green glow forming along his spines. He hit the ground with a thump that made Mairin flinch, but he landed on his feet. The Pin Missile was released straight up at the Carnivine, the ranged move able to reach it in the air. She let out a bitter hiss as she was struck, drifting closer to the ground.

"Tackle!"

"Bite," Ramos countered as Chespie ran forward, a dark aura forming along its fangs.

"Vine Whip!" Mairin cried as the Carnivine pounced forward. "Vine Whip instead, around its mouth!"

Chespie ducked and rolled, the Bite snapping right where he had been standing, two vines forming from his shoulders. They shot out, wrapping around the Carnivine's giant mouth, muzzling the Pokemon as it turned to try to land another Bite. Its eyes widened in surprise as it was now unable to open its mouth, and with a grunt of force Chespie slammed it into the ground.

"V-vine..." The Carnvine sputtered through the Vine Whip-muzzle, the poison working its way through her. Chespie was huffing as he started to lift the large Pokemon up into the air with his vines once more, but having caught Mairin many times from her falls he didn't even struggle. He threw the Carnivine across the field, smiling back at Mairin.

"Tackle!" She cried, knowing they needed to strike while the Pokemon was grounded. Chespie began running forward, head lowered as he charged. The Carnivine raised her head, Ramos commanding her to use Acid Spray, the poison type move forming in her mouth to intercept the Tackle.

A flicker of light ran across Chespie, Mairin's eyes widening as a white glow engulfed the Pokemon.

His body began to swell in size as the light danced around him, the Chespin instinctually tucking his arms and legs in close to his body, going from a charge to a roll. He barreled forward as he grew, his form becoming rounder and larger with each passing second. The Pokemon was merely a blur as the Acid Spray hit him, the attack being deflected by his speed. The glow faded just as he slammed into the Carnivine– the Rollout sending it flying across the battlefield.

"Quill!" Chespie cried as he landed on his feet, grinning happily. He then paused, looking down at his hands in confusion. He stumbled back a few steps, taking in the new form with shock, and he turned to look back at Mairin, the Quilladin blinking as it tried to process what had just happened.

"You evolved!" Mairin cried, awe and surprise in her voice as she looked over her starter. "You evolved, Chespie, you evolved!"

"Din!" He said, flashing her a smile, though he still seemed very shocked.

"Leaf Tornado," Ramos called, reminding them that the battle was not yet over.

"Dodge it!" Mairin cried, and Chespie instantly curled himself up into a ball, rolling away as the twister of leaves sped at him. He uncurled himself, looking at the Carnivine as it slowly drifted into the air. Her entire face was now a dark purple, the Toxic spreading swiftly with each passing moment. "Pin Missile!"

His spines twitched, glowing as the bug type moved was formed. Carnivine attempted to drift forward, but cringed in pain as the poison took its toll. The speeding Pin Missiles was launched out at the grass type, multiple hits striking the struggling Carnivine. Chespie didn't relent, the Quilladin firing one right after another as the gym leader's Pokemon struggled to stay in the air.

Another wave of the poison damage washed over Carnivine, and the grass type collapsed down onto the field.

"Ramos' final Pokemon is unable to battle!" Alain said, a smile flickering over his face. "That means that this gym match goes to Mairin and Chespie!"

There had already been a smile on Mairin's face, but as she heard these words that grin only grew. She had won– she had won the gym match! And not only that, her starter had evolved. She hurried onto the battlefield as quickly as her crutches would allow, and Chespie was beaming at her. He raced to her side, looking as if he were about to jump into her arms– before realizing he now came up to her elbows.

The newly evolved Pokemon hesitated for a moment, his round shape and stubby arms not meant for hugging. He then instead summoned a Vine Whip, using them to reach out and embrace Mairin. She let her crutches fall to the ground, knowing that Chespie would be able to support her better than ever. She let out a yelp as she was raised up into the air, the Quilladin proudly placing her on his head, using his vines to keep her in place.

"Quill!" He called happily, smiling up at her. "Din!"

"You were awesome, Chespie!" She said, unable to keep back a laugh. Bébé had drifted off of her shoulder, and was now darting around them with a happy smile on her face. Alain had dropped his 'official' stance from being the judge, hurrying over towards Mairin.

"Well that battle was certainly filled with surprises," Ramos said as he made his way over to her. "Here is the Plant Badge, proof that you have defeated me."

He held it out, but with Mairin using her arms to hold onto Chespie's spines she couldn't reach out to take it. Bébé came to the rescue, the little Flabébé darting out in front of them, a tiny little arm held out to take the badge. Ramos hesitated, but let the fairy type take it. Bébé sank a bit at the sudden weight, but raced to Mairin, holding it up proudly for her to see.

"We did it– we got our first gym badge!" Mairin squealed– and Ramos suddenly froze up.

"Wait, did you say this was your first badge?" He asked, eyes suddenly wide. Mairin blinked, then nodded, and Ramos then rounded on Alain. The raven haired boy was scratching the back of his head, the gym leader scowling at him. "You said that this was her third gym match!"

"No," Alain said, looking slightly guilty as Mairin flashed him a look of confusion. "I said that you should _use_ the team you use for people's third gym matches. I was able to request to battle stronger Pokemon when I took on the gyms, so there should be no problem with that."

"That's allowed– but the thing is _I_ didn't know that this was her first time!" Ramos cried. "I have very different approaches to challengers depending on their experience level– even if their team can take on stronger Pokemon! Here I was thinking that a third tier challenger was still dealing with starter pride and using freshly caught Pokemon, when that's what to be expected with a first time challenger," He turned towards Mairin, giving her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for my attitude in the battle, lass, if I would have known I would have handled this differently."

Mairin was staring at Alain. "...You set me up for a harder gym battle?"

Alain crossed his arms. "Mairin, I watched you and your Pokemon training all week. If you would have come in here facing his tier one team, you probably would have beaten them in just a few hits. I also knew that if I told you to request a higher tier team you would have felt that you weren't ready to handle that."

"Is that why you were so adamant on being the one to sign me up for my gym match?" She asked. She had thought it was because of her lack of experience and twisted ankle.

"Partly," Alain said with a shrug, and he looked at her uncertainly. "...I hope you're not mad at me, but gym battles are supposed to be a challenge and I knew a tier one team wouldn't give you that..."

Here she had thought she had been struggling against a team meant for new trainers, but in reality she had been battling Pokemon far stronger than she realized. There was no denying that she was slightly frustrated at Alain for going behind her back... but at the same time there was a warm feeling in her chest knowing she had defeated a strong team.

And that warm spark only grew as she realized that Alain thought she was a stronger trainer.

She looked down at Chespie as she sat on his head, who looked very proud as well. His quills twitched as she held them in her hands, and she then returned her gaze to Alain. "I forgive you– but you have to promise that you won't go behind my back like that again, Ali!"

Alain chuckled. "Fair enough, Mair," He reached out, ruffling her hair. "By the way, that was an amazing battle, and congratulations on evolving, Chespie."

"Din!" Chespie sang happily, before using his vines to set Mairin back on the ground. Alain reached down, picking up her crutches and handing them to her.

Mairin bit her lip. "Hey Alain... we're going to be heading back to Lumiose soon, right?"

"Yes, when the doctor says you can put weight on your ankle again."

"...Do you think I can challenge that gym when we get there?"

He smiled. "The Lumiose Gym isn't easy, electric types have barely any weaknesses, but I'm sure you're up for the challenge."

"Well, the stronger I become the closer I am to battling you," Mairin said with a grin. "Trust me, you and Charizard are going down!"

Alain let out a laugh. "I'll look forward to it."


	4. Birthday

**Birthday (Alain-15, Mairin-13)**

It was a cold fall morning as Alain made his way down the streets of Lumiose City, several bags in his arms from his early shopping trip. Several people had given him a strange look as he rushed through the stores, but it wasn't as if he had left this to the last minute. He simply couldn't buy this at any other time, because he was quite sure Mairin would have found them if he had stored anything at the lab. Even his room wasn't safe, since she was usually in there with him while he worked.

Alain panted as he reached a street corner, pausing to catch his breath. He cast a jealous eye on those driving down the road, wishing that he could drive. He often found himself running errands across town for the professor, but until he was eighteen cars simply wouldn't be an option. He closed his eyes for a moment, wishing he had brought one of his Pokemon along. He could have flown back to the lab on Charizard, or Bisharp could have at least helped him carry these bags...

No. He was only a few blocks from the lab anyways, he was fine– he just needed to focus on getting back before Mairin woke up.

It was her birthday today– and Alain was determined to make sure it was perfect.

He once again made his way down the street, watching his breath rise from the cold morning air. He knew it wouldn't be long until everything would be covered in snow and ice, and he was grateful that the winter weather had yet to hit Lumiose. He glanced down at the bags, making sure he would have everything they needed for today.

Despite today marking the second time her birthday had passed since they had met, they had yet to properly celebrate it together. It was something that had been bothering Alain for quite awhile now, having not known for a long time when her birthday was. He had always assumed it had been around when she had left on her journey, perhaps in the late spring or early summer– and so he had been very surprised to learn that her birthday fell at the end of November.

And she hadn't mentioned this until January– practically two months after her birthday had passed.

But today was going to make up for the fact that he hadn't done anything for her last year. Alain really wasn't the type that enjoyed parties, but he had offered no hesitation with planning out one for her. Perhaps it would just be him and the lab celebrating her special day, but he refused to let today just pass as another regular day like he had unknowingly done last year.

He at last arrived at the lab– and much to his relief the window he knew to be Mairin's room was dark– meaning that hopefully she was still asleep. He slipped in through the front gate and hurried up the steps, wanting nothing more than to be inside in the warmth. He was shivering as he slammed the door behind him, before flinching as he realized that the sound could awaken Mairin.

"You're back sooner than I thought," Professor Sycamore said, peering in from another room as he heard Alain entering. "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yep," Alain said, reluctantly taking off his coat, but he knew within a few minutes he wouldn't be needing it. He hurried towards the professor, shoving the bags into his hands. "Will you take care of these? I'm going to go make Mairin some breakfast before she wakes up."

"Better hurry," Professor Sycamore said with a chuckle. "I think Sophie and Cosette had the same idea."

Alain bolted for the kitchen.

* * *

"Shh," Alain hissed at Mairin's Pokemon as they made their way down the hall. "We don't want to wake her up just yet."

"Fla!" Zach whispered excitedly, the Flaaffy's golden orb lighting up for a brief moment.

This was met with a harsh glare from Chespie, the Quilladin holding up a small finger to his lips to shush the electric type. However, this only made Zach stick his tongue out at Chespie, who stiffened up in anger. For a few moments Alain thought that a fight would break out between the two as it often did– but fortunately Bébé came to the rescue.

"Flo," The Floette said calmly, drifting between her teammates, looking at them with a level glare. The two fell silent right away, stepping apart as they all continued down the hall. Chespie summoned a vine as they reached Mairin's bedroom door, quietly opening it. Her lights were off, soft snores coming from the bed as they all crept into her room. Bébé drifted up towards the lightswitch, ready to flip it on.

The rest of them gathered around the bed, where Mairin and a Flareon were peacefully sleeping, unaware that they only had moments before their sleep would be interrupted. Kade let out a snort as he slept, turning over on the pillow he had claimed as his bed. Alain nodded at the Pokemon with him, and they all took in a deep breath.

"Quilladin-quill!"

"Flaaffy-flaaffy!"

"Floette-flo-flo!"

"Happy birthday!"

Mairin was jerked awake as the voices suddenly filled the room– the lights being flipped on as she sat straight up. There was a panicked look in her eyes, jumping back as she looked at everyone gathered around her.

Kade had leapt straight into the air– a small burst of flames escaping his mouth as he landed on Mairin's head. His paws dug into her hair, his fur straight up on end. Bébé floated up above the bed, letting out a gentle Magical Leaf to serve as confetti. Chespie and Zach swiftly joined Mairin onto the bed, giving their trainer a giant hug.

"H-huh?" Mairin stuttered out after a moment, looking very startled.

"Happy birthday," Alain said again, smiling Mareepishly. "I, um... I made you some breakfast."

He held out the tray to her– where a pile of waffles stood in the center of the plate. It was covered in whipped cream and syrup, sliced up Pecha berries sprinkled on top. A cup of steaming hot chocolate sat off to the side, topped with marshmallows and a candy cane. Mairin's amber eyes lit up as soon as she saw it, but despite that there was still an uncertainty in her gaze.

"It's... my birthday?" She said, sounding almost wary, and Alain panicked– wondering if perhaps he had gotten it wrong. He had Professor Sycamore look it up! It couldn't be wrong!

"November twenty-third?" Alain checked, and to his relief she nodded slowly.

He held the tray out to the now-thirteen year old, which she carefully accepted, pulling it into her lap. Her hair was a mess, but whether that was from sleeping or from the Flareon was up in the air. Kade slinked down onto her shoulder, eyes focused on the waffles.

"Nope– those are for Mairin!" Alain snapped, snatching the Flareon before he could sneak a bite. "Go ahead– dig in, Mair."

Mairin swallowed. "A-alain, you didn't have to do all this..."

"It's your birthday," He replied as Mairin poked at her waffles with a fork. She speared a piece, bringing it up to her mouth, and a small smile spread over her face as she took a bite.

Kade let out a whimper as he sat in Alain's arms– he had wanted the first bite of waffles!

* * *

"Ice cream in November– funny how that seems like it's something you'd definitely do, but yet something you'd never do," Alain commented with a small smile, taking a bite of his Yache berry ice cream. It was one of his favorite flavors– slightly on the sour side, but the Pecha berries he had on top balanced that out.

Mairin on the other hand had chocolate fudge ice cream– topped with chocolate chips and chocolate syrup. Not that he didn't like chocolate, but that much honestly made him want to gag. She had ordered the largest size possible, though he had no doubts that she could finish it.

"What do you mean?" Mairin asked, stuffing another spoonful of pure chocolate into her mouth.

"I'm not surprised that you'd go out of your way for sweets that aren't usually served at this time of year," Alain said, glancing around at the empty ice cream shop. "But you hate the cold– so the fact that you'd want ice cream at this time of year is surprising."

"It may be cold outside," Mairin countered, taking another huge bite. "But it's warm in here– so ice cream is still fair game."

Mairin had seemed strangely silently the whole morning– only giving nervous smiles when the adults of the lab wished her a happy birthday, looking almost hesitant at times. But despite this, when Alain had asked her if she wanted to do anything for her birthday, she had requested to come straight here. It had been freezing outside, the wind not helping, but for once she had seemed undaunted by the cold.

"Yeah, but this isn't the first time you've brought me here," Alain said, pointing his spoon at her. "Last year. November. You begged me to come with you to get ice cream– granted you do that a lot– but I remember that time because just like now, it was freezing outside."

Mairin's paused mid-bite, her eyes suddenly drifting down to the table.

Her reaction was enough, and Alain pressed his lips together. "So it was last year to the very day then– your birthday," He leaned forward slightly, a frown on his face. "Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday last year? You said you forgot, but clearly you didn't."

"That was a year ago, Alain," Mairin said, voice clearly forced to be casual. "Nothing to make a big deal over now."

Icy blue eyes bore into her amber ones, and she again lowered her gaze, shoving another bite of ice cream into her mouth. He knew that he could probably get her to explain with ease– it didn't take much to push her into talking– but he didn't want to do that. He had found there was only a few things Mairin would clam up about, and so when she did he knew that she probably had a reason.

"...Can you tell me why you picked this place then?" Alain asked after a moment. "I know there's at least three other ice cream parlors closer to the lab– granted the outdoor ones are probably closed though."

Mairin looked around the parlor, poking at her ice cream. There was no one else in here– even the lady behind the counter having retreated to the backroom after they had paid for their order. Alain silently waited, knowing that she'd answer in a moment, and took another bite of ice cream. He followed her gaze across the room, and found her focus was on the small little display of the shop's merchandise– most of them featuring a cartoon Vanillite.

"My brother brought me to this parlor on my sixth birthday," Mairin finally said. "Well, not _this_ exact one– but same company. And I guess I've just loved it ever since."

"So he's the one that had the idea to have ice cream in basically the winter?" Alain asked, raising an eyebrow.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "You're the one with the winter birthday– not me," Her playful attitude faded after a moment. "I've tried to get Justin to take me back here after that birthday, but he was usually busy. Then he moved out not long after I turned eight... and yeah."

"Too busy on your birthday?"

Mairin shrugged.

"...What about the rest of your family then, what did you do with them to celebrate?" Alain asked. "Your parents... and you said you had a sister too, right?"

"Y-yeah, I have one..." She swallowed. "Um, but we never really did anything, we, er..." She stumbled over her words. "Never really, um, celebrated birthdays... and stuff..."

"Your parents didn't celebrate birthdays?" Alain asked, pulling back slightly at this information. "Like– not even a happy birthday to you or your siblings?"

Sure, his own father had never made any effort to celebrate birthdays– but that was because he was usually too drunk to even realize what day it was. But he knew that his mother had never missed his, and even his foster mothers– who he had barely spoken too– always went out of their way on his birthday. And of course at the lab it was impossible to escape celebration. To hear that Mairin's parents had never celebrated birthdays... it just sounded strange.

"N-no, they did, just not..." Mairin trailed off– before swifting shoving a mouthful of ice cream into her mouth.

"'Just not' what?"

She shook her head. "N-nothing. Never mind."

"That sounds like more than nothing," Alain said, a frown coming over his face, but she made no effort to reply. "Come on, Mair, talk to me."

She blinked several times, before pressing her eyes shut. Silence crawled into the parlor, a strange tension forming. Not between them, but yet it was just simply there. He instantly knew that this was probably something she didn't want to talk about, but yet at the same time he felt like he shouldn't just let it go.

"It's nothing important," She whispered after a moment.

"If it's about you then it's important to me," Alain said instantly, and this seemed to make Mairin pause. She looked up at him for a moment, as if she didn't quite believe these words. Amber eyes regarded him, looking hesitant to say anything, before finally closing her eyes.

"At home... at home we did celebrate birthdays... just never mine," Mairin said quietly.

"...They what?" Alain said after a moment.

"Stuff like that costs a lot, and my parents are usually pretty busy–" She began.

"So you're telling me they just... _ignored_ your birthday or something?" Alain asked, a slight growl in his voice.

"They didn't ignore it," Mairin said, shifting. "I asked them when it was and stuff and they'd tell me. They just didn't waste their money on me with a party or anything. That's all. I'm the youngest, the others take first priority–" She tried to explain, but her words were only making Alain angrier. His hands curled into fists, blue eyes turning stormy, and Mairin immediately fell silent.

"That has nothing to do with anything," Alain hissed, and he closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. From what he had seen Mairin's family had weird ways of doing things... but this was something else. "I just... What exactly do they do? Don't look down– tell me."

"We just... never did anything on my birthday," Mairin muttered, shifting in her seat again. "It's not a big deal, it's just a birthday... Sometimes Justin would do things with me, but usually he was busy like I said, and y-yeah."

"What did they do for your siblings?"

"...A party...? Cake and balloons and presents and stuff..." She muttered. "I'm sure Mom and Dad would have done the same for me if they could, but stuff is expensive and M-mercy and Justin are the older ones so they're more important..."

"Please," Alain whispered as he heard this. "Please don't tell me you believe a word of what you just said."

She looked at him in confusion, and a pulse of anger ran through him. Hearing Mairin say that was painful enough, but knowing that she thought that was true... It made him feel sick. What sort of parents would celebrate one child– but then not acknowledge the other in the same way? A birthday seemed something so simple, but yet seeing how something so small had planted such ideas in her mind made the lack of it feel so much worse. Or perhaps even worse those words had been directly said to her.

"I know it might seem weird to you," Mairin muttered, sounding like she was just repeating words rather than saying her own. "But that's just how my family does things. You don't need to worry about something that doesn't matter."

"'Doesn't matter'?" Alain said, shaking his head. "Mairin– no one should just be ignored like that–"

"It's just a birthday," Mairin insisted. "I shouldn't just expect others to just give me things– that's nothing but selfish. I mean... I mean I've always wondered what it would be like to have a party– but that isn't something I _need._ It isn't something anyone needs. I'm... fine..."

There were tears in her eyes, arms wrapped around herself, ice cream forgotten. She just stared at the table, before pressing her eyes shut. She was clearly fighting against the tears, trying to look as if everything was okay. This wasn't the Mairin he knew. This wasn't his happy Mairin who made the sun shine on the darkest day. Who could laugh at the simplest of jokes. Who had a smile that never failed to make him smile.

"Can we go now...?" Mairin asked quietly, wiping away some of her tears. "It's starting to snow and... yeah..."

Alain glanced out the front windows of the ice cream shop– and sure enough white flakes were starting to fall from the sky. He nodded, pushing himself out of his seat and grabbing their bowls of half-eaten ice cream. Mairin was zipping up her jacket as he threw them away, not even looking him in the eye.

"Mairin?" Alain said, holding open the door as they stepped into the cold. She looked up at him. "We're giving you a proper birthday this year– just so you know. There's going to be balloons and cake and candles... and everything."

"You don't have to..." She whispered.

"No. We don't," Alain said as they made their way down the streets. "But me and the lab want to. That's actually one of the reasons I took you out for ice cream– so they could set up while we were gone."

Mairin went quiet. "...A birthday party...? But I- I never have had one before– I dunno–"

"You're going to have a proper birthday whether you want it or not," Alain insisted, and he placed an arm around her shoulder. "And especially after what you just told me... you deserve it," He looked down at Mairin– was who blinking rapidly, either from the snowflakes drifting into her eyes, or more tears were forming. "Thank you for telling me, I know that probably wasn't easy."

"That's just the way things are..." She muttered.

"Were," Alain said after a moment. "That's how they were– but that doesn't mean that's how they'll have to be now," He suddenly grabbed her arm, changing course as he turned to cross the street. She stumbled as she tried to regain her balance, looking up at him in confusion. "Detour," He said simply. "It'll only take a few minutes."

The look of confusion on her face only grew as he took her towards one of the parks in Lumiose– the place next to empty with the snow coming down. He had a feeling it wouldn't be like this for long, but for now this was fine. He lead them to one of the park benches, sitting down and pulling his backpack into his lab. Mairin sat next to him, not quite sure of what she should do.

"I was planning on giving this to you tonight," Alain said, pulling out a small white box. It didn't look that fancy, only a yellow ribbon tied around it– but Alain was never one to go overboard. He held the present out to Mairin. "But I changed my mind. I want you to have it right now."

She took it, tips of her fingers red from the cold, and stared down at it.

"It's your birthday present," Alain said, scratching the back of his head. "Technically there's two things in there– but consider one as your birthday gift for last year instead."

She shifted under his gaze, amber eyes flickering to the ground. It was so strange to see Mairin like this, quiet and withdrawn. Usually she was bursting with energy, ready to talk about the smallest thing that would pop into her mind. But all he had seen today was this strange silent side, looking nervous to simply meet his eyes.

But despite this she tugged on the ribbon, pulling it off and setting it aside. She pulled the lid off of the box– an eagerness in her eyes as she opened the gift. There was tissue paper wrapped up inside to protect the fragile cargo. She unwrapped the first one– pausing as she looked at the small object that had fallen into her hand.

"Alain?" She whispered, taking in a sharp breath.

Mairin had dozens of keychains, literally keychains of keychains– it was something she loved to collect and one of the few things she never misplaced– so Alain figured turning her present into one was best idea. The small silvery keychain was connected to a small stone, which seemed to sparkle despite the sun being hidden behind a blanket of gray clouds. Mairin held the stone up– staring at the small rainbow gem in awe.

"Surprise," Alain said quietly as Mairin touched the key stone.

"B-but Alain," Mairin said, hand wrapping around the gem. "You've been looking for a key stone for ages! Y-you can't just give me one, what about you and Charizard–?"

He smiled. "I said there was two gifts, remember? I found the other one with that key stone– and there was no way I was going to separate them."

Her eyes flickered back towards the box– and while still keeping one hand clutched around the key stone she dug through the rest of the tissue paper. It wasn't long before her hands found a leather cord, pulling it out of the gift box. Just like with the keychain there was a gem at the end of the cord– this one a frosty white with a twisting yellow and red core.

"Ampharosite," Alain said. "I know that Zach isn't fully evolved yet, but as soon as he is... you guys will be ready."

"A-alain..." Mairin said, voice cracking slightly. He looked towards her, and found that there were tears forming in her amber eyes. She looked down at the mega and key stone in her hands, before wrapping her fingers tightly around them. The tears began sliding down her face, mouth opening as she looked up at him, but yet she couldn't seem to find anything to say.

He didn't hesitate, reaching out and pulling Mairin into a hug. She leaned against his chest, hands still holding the gems close and she began crying. It was strange– usually the sound of Mairin's crying was almost painful for him to listen too– but these weren't tears of pain or sorrow. She was just simply crying, letting out everything at once. Snow was starting to fall faster, but the chill didn't seem to reach the two teens.

"Thank you," Mairin whispered. "Alain, thank you so much..."

"I'm glad you like them," Alain said, his arms still around Mairin even as her crying slowly came to a stop. When he had first found the two gems a few months back he had originally only planned on giving Mairin the Ampharosite– and keeping the key stone for himself. It had been over a year since he had gotten rid of the mega and key stone Lysandre had given him, and he had already found another Charizardite... A key stone had been the last thing he needed to mega evolve once more.

But when he had found the Ampharosite core right next to the newly found key stone, he knew that they weren't meant to be his.

"...Thank you," She whispered again. "I... I've always hated my birthday..." She said– and it sounded like she was fighting back more tears. "B-but today I've... I've actually been happy..."

He pulled her back so he could look into her eyes. "I'm going to make sure that every birthday of yours is like that from now on," Alain promised. "That's what you deserve."

"...Only if I can throw a big party for your birthday," Mairin said after a moment, a slight smirk flickering up onto her face. She had tried to organize something big last year– but he had insisted that her and the others at the lab was enough to celebrate.

"...Fine," Alain said– but he had a feeling he would regret those words later.

But seeing the smile that spread over Mairin's face, and to finally see that light in her eyes for the first time today... it was worth it. The young girl leapt to her feet, looking over her gifts once more, before carefully stowing them away in her pockets with a smile. She then reached out, grabbing his wrist– insisting that they went back to the lab now. The snow was only starting to come down faster– and it was freezing.

Besides, they had a birthday party they needed to get to.


	5. Letters to Moms

**A day late, but here's a short Mother's Day fic.**

* * *

**L****etters to Moms (Alain-15, Mairin-12)**

"Whatcha doing?"

Alain paused as he heard Mairin's voice behind him, and moments later he felt a pair of hands as Mairin peered over his shoulder. He was careful to angle the paper he was writing on away, looking back at her as he sat in the grass. A pair of amber eyes stared at him curiously– several envelopes spread out in front of him, Charizard and Unfezant were sitting in the grass in front of him, creating what probably looked like a strange sight.

"Writing letters," Alain said, carefully folding up the one he had been working on so it couldn't be read.

"How come?" Mairin asked, swinging about, looking down at the papers between them. "Isn't it quicker to send a message from the Pokemon Center?"

"It's Mother's Day today," He replied. "So I'm just writing a letter to my moms."

"Mom-_s?"_ She questioned, tilting her head slightly. "You have more than one mom?"

Alain hesitated. "Yes. If you want to be technical, I actually have four moms, so a lot of letters to get through today, and I want all of them to be thoughtful..."

He trailed off, hoping that Mairin would get the hint and let him finish writing them in private, but she only seemed more curious than ever. She inched forward, gleaming eyes locked on him. Chespie was up on her shoulder, looking just as curious, the Chespin peering up at him.

"How do you have _four_ moms?"

Alain sighed, looking down at the multiple envelopes sitting in front of him, and he pointed to the first one. "Well, this one is for my birth mom. I've never met her– I'm adopted, you see– but I still write her a letter every year. Because even if I've never known her... she's the reason I'm alive."

She nodded, amber gaze still locked on him.

He pointed to the next envelope. "And then this one is for Mom. My real mom, the one that raised me," His throat tightened for a moment, and he closed his eyes. "And then my last two moms are my foster mothers."

"Foster mothers?" Mairin asked.

"Yes, Elise and Morgan Lambert," Alain said. "They took me in when I was seven, gave me a family when I had no one else. They're both really important to me."

"...What about your other mom? What happened to her?" Mairin asked, looking at him in worry, and Alain looked away.

"She died, Mairin. A long time ago, when I was just a kid," He spoke plainly, knowing that there was no point in hiding what had happened, but still his voice wavered.

Her eyes widened slightly. "O-oh... I'm sorry Alain, I didn't know..." She paused. "Is that why you had foster moms then? Because your mom passed away?"

A heavy feeling settled in Alain's stomach, a fear taking hold of him. He closed his eyes, trying to keep his breathing even, forcing the memories out of his mind. Oh, how he wished that Elise and Morgan would have taken him after his mother had passed, but that hadn't been so. There had been three years between his mom's passing and going into foster care, three long years with his father...

"...Yeah," Alain said hoarsely, hating the fact that he was lying to Mairin, but any other answers would have brought up memories he wasn't ready to deal with. "Yeah... that's why..."

"And what about the last two letters?" Mairin asked, pointing to the final two envelopes. "That makes six, not four."

He took a moment to compose himself, to keep his mounting feelings back and his expression neutral. "Oh, those? They're for Sophie and Cosette... because, um, they're not my mom but..."

"But they take care of us just like a mom could!" Mairin said, her eyes lightly up with realization. "I get it, so you're giving them a Mother's Day letter too! That's a good idea– maybe I'll draw a picture for them for Mother's Day!"

"That's a great idea," Alain said. "If you want I can have Unfezant deliver them with my letters when you're done."

Mairin leapt to her feet, ready to bolt off to grab her sketchbook. "Yeah! That will be perfect!"

"Are you going to make anything for your mom?" Alain asked, causing Mairin to pause.

"I, um, erm... don't think she wants anything from me..." Mairin muttered, trailing off, and he frowned at her. "I just, um, she's always busy and I'm sure a drawing would just bother her... heh..."

"I'm sure it wouldn't," Alain said. "It's Mother's Day after all, and I'm sure she'd be thrilled. Besides, your drawings are really good– who wouldn't want one?"

She still looked hesitant, but she perked up slightly. "Well I do think my drawings have gotten a lot better, so maybe she will want one..." She nodded to herself, a gleam of hope in her eyes. "Yeah– I'll make one for Mom too!"

"I'm sure they'll all love it," Alain said, and Mairin raced off, a huge smile on her face. He smiled as well, before turning his attention back to the letter he had been working on. He unfolded it, nearly two pages front and back filled, but he continued writing.

Charizard carefully tore a third page out from a notebook with her claws, holding it out to him so he could finish the letter. He gave the lizard a grateful nod, before turning his focus back towards the letter. It was on the back of the third page that his writing at last slowed, the teen pausing for a moment, glancing over what he had written– before carefully signing his name.

He folded the papers, reaching for the envelope meant for his adoptive mother. The name 'Harper Vide' had already been written out the outside as he slipped the letter inside, before sealing the envelope. He held the papers for a moment, silence in the air, before looking up at the sky.

"Happy Mother's Day, Mom," He said quietly. "I miss you."

And then without another word he held the envelope out to Charizard, who swung her tail around, letting her tail flames lick the edges of the letter. The papers caught fire, consuming the letter in the flames. Ashes crumbled to the ground, smoke curling up into the sky. He stared up, watching the smoke climb higher, before the wind scattered the gray wisps.

"...I love you."


End file.
